The sheriff’s office is asking residents not to leave weapons in their vehicles overnight after three guns were stolen from two Center Grove area neighborhoods.
Earlier this month, two guns and ammunition were stolen from vehicles in New Whiteland.
A state prison ID, electronics, cash and jewelry also were stolen from at least 16 vehicles parked in the Center Grove area overnight Thursday and Friday, and the sheriff’s office is investigating.
Investigators have surveillance video of one of the thefts, according to the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office.
The thefts were reported mainly in two neighborhoods, Wakefield West, off Smith Valley Road, between State Road 37 and Morgantown Road, overnight Friday, and Woodland Streams, near Saddle Club and Smokey Row roads, overnight Thursday, which also included several thefts along Travis Road.
Investigators suspect the thefts are related, but are still investigating, Sheriff Doug Cox said in an email.
Many of the vehicles had been left unlocked, but the thieves also broke some vehicle windows, according to police reports.
Two guns were stolen from vehicles Thursday night, and a pistol was taken from a vehicle parked on Columbia Circle on Friday night, reports said. Multiple other vehicles were ransacked on the same street, police reports said.
A resident on Pennswood Court also reported his identification for his work at Pendleton Correctional Facility was stolen, along with his stab-proof vest, the report said.
Others reported cash, sunglasses, a watch and GPS system were stolen from their vehicles, according to police reports.
The sheriff’s office is investigating, and is searching for the person or people responsible. But they also need residents’ help to make it harder for people to steal items from their vehicles, Cox said in an email.
