BETHALTO - The Bethalto Police reminded residents to be careful with vehicles because the city has experienced multiple vehicle-related property crimes from Nov. 20, 2017, to Jan. 2, 2018.
"Over the holiday season we had reports of 23 vehicle burglaries during this time and 3 vehicle thefts," an officer from the Bethalto Police Department said. "The following streets were targeted: Patton Drive, Albers Lane, Westmoreland Drive, West Corbin Street, Silver Street, Patriot’s Drive, Mill Street, Longfellow Street, East Central Street, Oak Crest Drive, Strohbeck Lane, and Hawthorne Court."
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Bethalto residents reported 69 vehicle burglaries and 8 vehicles stolen in 2017. Four of those stolen vehicles have been recovered and one person charged for one of those incidents.
Investigations found that there was no forced entry on any of the incidents. The Bethalto Police said there were three vehicles stolen since Christmas that had keys left in them, below are their description:
Vehicle stolen from Oak Crest Drive 12/26/2017: Brown 2008 Chevy Silverado Crew-Cab, IL 76124U; has large dent in passenger side bed.
Vehicle stolen from 900 block Albers Lane 12/30/2017: Black and Tan 2006 Ford Explorer, IL PANYIK5.
Vehicle stolen from Hawthorne Court 01/02/2018: Black 2004 Toyota 4 Runner, IL G868779, stickers on the rear window; Bethalto FC (Football club), two Grateful Dead stickers and a #Bluestem Vodka sticker.
"In no way are we blaming the victims, and everyone has a right to be secure in their property," the police said. "We work very hard to try and prevent thefts. Hopefully 2018 we will be more successful. It only takes a moment to remove your valuables and lock the vehicle. It also only takes a moment for a thief to remove your valuables or steal your vehicle when it is unlocked."
