Investigators say at least 25 unlocked cars were broken into resulting in a stolen car and two stolen firearms.
INDIAN TRAIL, N.C. — A simple yet urgent message from the Union County Sheriff's Office: Lock your car doors. This renewed reminder comes after dozens of unlocked cars were broken into throughout one Indian Trail neighborhood.
Deputies say the crimes happened early Sunday morning and involved four juveniles who were all charged and arrested for 25 felonies each.
The teens are accused of checking car doors, and officials said once they gained access they managed to steal one car as well as two firearms and other miscellaneous items from cars.
UCSO said crimes like this can be prevented simply by locking your car door and securing your possessions.
“Every once in a while we will see a forced entry case, but it is extremely rare," UCSO Lt. James Maye said. "Typically a criminal targets an unlocked motor vehicle where valuables are visible inside.”
Unlocked Doors Lead to Theft of Firearms and Vehicle During Series of Break-In’s
On Sunday morning, Union County Sheriff’s Office deputies were dispatched to over 25 separate homes within the Bonterra subdivision in order to complete incident reports for a series of motor vehicle breaking and entering incidents. Throughout the early morning hours on Sunday, a group of thieves targeted only UNLOCKED motor vehicles within the neighborhood and stole various items to include two firearms and a vehicle itself that the ignition keys were left inside of.
Early this morning, officers with the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department located the vehicle stolen during this break-in series and identified four juvenile male suspects. UCSO investigators have determined that the same four juveniles identified by CMPD are the offenders from the motor vehicle break-in’s in Bonterra. Due to the 2019 “Raise the Age” legislation preventing the physical arrest of these thieves, UCSO investigators requested that secured custody orders be issued for the three 17-year-old and one 15-year-old juvenile suspects. Secured custody orders were not granted in this case and the offenders had to be released. UCSO investigators will be charging each offender with over 25 individual felonies for their criminal behavior via juvenile petition through the Department of Juvenile Justice. The stolen firearms in this case have not been recovered at this time. Due to these offender’s status as juveniles, their identities cannot be released to the public.
Sheriff Cathey would like to take this time to remind all of our residents to LOCK YOUR CAR DOORS. As you can see from the video below, this group of thieves tried the vehicle’s door handle, found the doors were locked, and moved on to the next driveway. A simple press of a button before you go to bed can prevent crime from occurring in our area and also prevent you from becoming a victim. Always remove your car keys and valuables from your vehicle and always secure your firearms inside your home when parking for the evening.
Posted by Union County Sheriff's Office, Monroe, NC on Monday, June 6, 2022
Ben Walker was one of the neighbors who fell victim; he said a loaded gun was taken from his unlocked truck.
“Most of the time I take it in, put it in the box and lock it up, but I didn’t that night and I’ll never do it again," Walker said.
Walker said he later learned that the same stolen gun was later used in another crime out of Charlotte.
According to a Charlotte-Mecklenburg police report, one of the stolen guns was used in a shooting in South End. The report says three people were shot with the stolen gun, along with a few businesses in the busy neighborhood. Police have made arrests in that shooting.
Home surveillance video caught some of the suspected thieves in the act. Investigators recommend parking in well-lit areas, getting cameras around your home, and installing motion sensor lights to help keep thieves away.
Contact Briana Harper at bharper@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
