Clayton Police want to warn drivers about a rash of recent car break-ins in Clayton.
Seven different cars have been hit in the last two days all over Clayton. They began Monday, the day after Christmas. The cars have been parked at gyms, at a greenway parking lot, even a church.
During the holidays, there’s often an increase in crimes of opportunity like this – commonly, it’s thieves simply opening unlocked cars and stealing items, said Town of Clayton Public Information Officer Stacy Beard. “We’ve put out warnings in the past to always lock your car, even in your driveway.”
But in each of this week’s cases, the cars have been locked. However, in all the cases the drivers left valuables like women’s purses in plain view. The thief has been smashing out a rear window to grab the purses then flee.
The suspect or suspects are not targeting one neighborhood or specific area of Clayton. They broke into two cars at the Gold’s Gym parking lot on U.S. 70 Business, two cars parked at the gym at Riverwood Athletic Club, one car at the Clayton Riverwalk on the Neuse Greenway parking lot on Covered Bridge Road, one car parked on Champion Street and another outside First Baptist Church in Clayton.
Police did not release any suspect information. Anyone with any information is asked to contact Detective Jason Linder at 919-553-4611or Clayton CrimeStoppers at 919-359-TIPZ (8479).
“We hope to catch this thief and return those valuables to the victims, however, we must stress each car was specifically targeted for its contents,” Beard said in a press release. “We live in a safe community, ranked numerous times as one of the safest in North Carolina, but please do not leave valuables in plain sight, even if your car is locked.”
