Columbus police had their hands full this weekend with a string of car burglaries, almost all of which involved breaking out the glass of the cars to gain entry.
- James Brown and Polly Rodgers requested Columbus Police Department officers check on a 1998 tan Malibu parked at 74 Coopers Drive Saturday at 7:37 a.m. Upon arrival, the officer found the driver”s side window busted out and the dash board broken open. The car”s radio was missing, and a concrete brick was found at the scene. The car belongs to Polly Rodgers” son, Fredrick Rodgers. Fredrick Rodgers told police he had the vehicle parked in the location for about a week.
- Teresa Dumas, of 2201 Ninth Ave. S., reported to police Sunday at 6:42 a.m. someone had busted the driver”s side window of her green Honda Acura. A Kenwood stereo was missing, and a brick was found on the passenger floorboard of the vehicle.
- Katrina McGowan contacted police Sunday at 4:05 p.m. to report the passenger window in her maroon Chevrolet Tahoe had been busted out and her purse was missing along with all her personal information. She was fishing at the Luxapalila Creek Park at the time of the incident.
- Carlos Rosales of 1515 College St. reported to police Sunday at 11:27 p.m. seeing two people running away from a nearby area where two semi-trucks were parked. The owner of one of the vehicles, Charles Wilder, was contacted. Wilder told police he discovered someone had busted the windshield out of his International Eagle truck and stolen a Magellan Roadmate 1200 global positioning system.
- Lisa Alexandria Hartung told police someone stole a backpack out of her car Friday at 9 p.m. while the car was parked at 2400 Main St. The backpack contained clothes and an iPod. The car showed no signs of forced entry.
Police have not confirmed whether or not the car break-ins are related.
Home burglaries
Police also received several reports of breaking and entering into homes and businesses this weekend. The following incidents were reported by the CPD:
- Cathy Lancaster contacted Columbus police Thursday at 5:37 p.m. to report the theft of several items from her guest house at 304 Curtis Lane. Items stolen include a Dewalt jig saw, a drill, a rod and reel, a wheelbarrow, a 12-volt Vector Start It with complete jump start system and two sets of golf clubs. Lancaster told police she believe the theft occurred Monday afternoon.
- Robert Glen Miller, of 505 Fifth Ave. S., reported Thursday at 7:10 a.m. someone broke into his home. Entry was gained by removing the glass from the back door and crawling through. At first Miller didn”t notice anything missing, but later reported an antique broach with the initials “WD” engraved upon it.
- Johnnie Lee Brown, of 411 12th St. N., reported to police Wednesday at 7:51 p.m. coming home and finding his back door kicked open. Brown found nothing missing.
- An alarm was activated at 2217 Bell Ave. Saturday at 3:17 a.m. Police contacted Willie Johnson, the owner of the home. Entry was gained by removing an air conditioner from the east wall and crawling inside the building. Johnson told police nothing was missing from inside the building, but the light meter had been removed. Columbus Light and Water was notified by police about the incident.
- Gordon Sanders, of 414 Fifth St. S., reported to police Sunday at 12:38 a.m. coming home and finding his back door kicked open. A Sony Playstation 3 had been taken.
- Officer Guy Taylor responded to a vandalism call at Aurora Australis Nursing Home at 310 Emerald Drive, at 7:48 p.m. Monday. Taylor reported that a Wanda Turner, an employee of the nursing home, found a vending machine open and all the contents missing.The machine had not been broken into, and the coin box was still there and had change in it. It appears that the vending machine had been opened with a key. Missing from the machine was assorted candy and sandwiches.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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