Sheriff’s Office investigating multiple vehicle break-ins
EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) — The El Paso County Sheriff’s office says with the weather warming up and people getting out to hike, there is an increase of vehicle break-ins at trail heads.
Some of the thefts have been caught on camera. The videos show suspects walking from car to car checking to see if the doors were locked, according to the sheriff’s office.
In each instance, if the car doors were locked, they simply moved onto the next car. The sheriff’s office also said thieves did not break the windows unless they saw something valuable like a purse or money in plain sight.
When thieves found an unlocked vehicle, they searched through the car and stole what they could before moving on to the next.
The sheriff’s office warns that these crimes only take a matter of seconds, and people should remember to lock their vehicles and hide items out of plain sight.
Below is a list of cases from April 19 – April 26. Peak times of these break-ins have been between 10:30 a.m. and 3:00 p.m.:
On April 19, 2020, in the 2100 block of Stella Drive in Monument
On April 19, 2020, at Fox Run Park; window broken, purse stolen
On April 21, 2020, in the 2100 block of Stella Drive in Monument
On April 21, 2020, at Fox Run Park; vehicle left unlocked, purse stolen, credit card used
On April 24, 2020, in the 8300 block of Burgess Road in Colorado Springs
On April 24, 2020, at Section 16 Trailhead in Manitou Springs; window broken, purse stolen
On April 26, 2020, on Old Denver Road in Monument a Jeep soft top was cut through and a purse was stolen. Credit cards from the purse were used to make large purchases of gift cards at a grocery store near West Baptist Road and Jackson Creek Parkway in Colorado Springs.
The suspect is described as a Black or Hispanic Male, 5'10"-6' tall, weighing 250-270 pounds, wearing a black hat, orange hooded sweater, black pants, and a face mask. No picture of the suspect is available right now.
The sheriff's office is asking for anyone with information about these cases to call the tip line at 719-520-6666. Any information can be valuable and could consist of things as simple as anyone remembering suspicious vehicles or people they saw in or around the area at the time of a crime.
