Several vehicles in rural areas of Orange County were hit by burglars Wednesday night, according to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office. Most had been left unlocked.
Sheriff’s Spokeswoman Janois Grizzaffi said the burglaries were in the Wexford Park area of Vidor and along FM 105 in the Orangefield area, mainly in the Bobcat Trails subdivision.
Also, a car was stolen from an Orangefield house and another from a house in Vidor. Grizzaffi did not know whether the stolen cars had been unlocked or whether the keys were inside.
“People, lock your cars,” Grizzaffi said.
Detective Captain Robert Enmon with the Orange Police Department said law agencies across the county are now working together to stop the dozens of car burglaries reported in the past couple of weeks.
Bridge City had 10 reported last week. Orange had more than 40 during January.
Enmon said the burglars in neighborhoods are going from house to house checking for unlocked doors on vehicles. If a car or truck is unlocked, the thieves take whatever they can find inside. The stolen items include loose change, jewelry, cell phones, tablets, firearms, GPS devices and sunglasses.
“It’s very difficult to catch them,” he said about the thieves. “The only way is by help from citizens or getting lucky with a patrol stop.”
Enmon said Orange has brought more officers in to work nights patroling subdivisions looking for the crooks.
He is asking for people in subdivisions with home surveillance equipment to look at their recordings, even if their neighborhood hasn’t had burglaries. If anyone sees people going from driveway to driveway checking cars at night, they should save the video recording and contact their law agency.
Grizzaffi said sheriff’s investigators have reviewed a home video from Wednesday night that has recorded thieves. They are looking for any video that is available.
On Friday night January 19, the Hampton Inn and Holiday Inn on Interstate 10 in Orange had a total of 13 vehicle break-ins in what is called a “smash and grab.” The thieves broke windows to steal from inside. Enmon said OPD investigators think those were by a gang from Houston and not related to the home vehicle burglaries.
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