Vehicles entered in Smith, South Strabane
Guns, loose coins and tools are among the items reported stolen from vehicles late Sunday and early Monday in two Washington County communities.
Police in Smith and South Strabane townships are investigating after vehicle owners discovered the thefts.
Most of the vehicles were unlocked, said police from both departments, although at least one was forcibly entered in Smith.
Residents of Locust Avenue and streets off Locust, including Moger and Janet drives, started calling South Strabane police after waking up to the thefts. A long gun was stolen from a vehicle on Locust, said Detective Ken Torboli. Other items reported stolen included DVDs, an Apple iPod, cash, an old wallet with old credit cards and a Social Security card.
One resident of Moger reported hearing something when he went to bed about 1 a.m. Monday but told police he did not look outside. Another resident of the same street told police she thought she heard something about 5 a.m. A resident of Homer Avenue told police gasoline was stolen from his vehicle’s tank. Another resident told police the center console of her vehicle was damaged during a theft.
Smith police Chief Bernie LaRue said all the thefts there were reported in the village of Atlasburg. Two handguns were stolen from vehicles owned by two different people on Second Avenue. A resident of Main Street told police $300 was stolen from his unlocked pickup truck. A pack of screwdrivers was stolen from a pickup truck on Main. A pickup truck parked outside another home on Second was ransacked. Police said there were pry marks on the rear sliding window of the truck.
Both Torboli and LaRue had advice for vehicle owners.
“Keep your vehicles locked,” Torboli said.
“Never leave weapons or cash inside a vehicle,” LaRue advised.
This is not the first time in recent months local police had to deal with a rash of vehicles being entered in different neighborhoods. North Franklin Township police have been investigating cases in several neighborhoods, including most recently in the Trinity Park area. In July, Chartiers police received several reports of vehicles being entered. A Kia Sportage was stolen after the owner reportedly left the keys in the center console while the vehicle was parked on West Grant Street. The vehicle was found about a month later at Hendersonville Park in Cecil Township.
Anyone with information on the most recent thefts is asked to call Smith police at 724-947-5069 or South Strabane police at 724-225-8111.