Crime Watch: Christmas Gift Thefts, Multiple Car Break-Ins

Thieves Take Christmas Gifts

Roseville Police report several incidents of thefts of Christmas and holiday gifts from inside vehicles.

Overnight Dec. 18/19, someone forced open the window of a vehicle parked in the 1100 block of Conroy Lane and took ready-to-mail Christmas cards with Target gift cards inside.

During another incident, between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. on Dec. 19, a thief got into the trunk of a car parked in the 300 block of North Sunrise Avenue and took new toys that had just been purchased as Christmas gifts.  It's unknown how the thief got into the locked car.

Rash of Vehicle Burglaries in Blue Oaks Neighborhoods

Sometime between 6 a.m. and 7:45 a.m. on Dec. 21, someone smashed the window of a car in the 1400 block of Barnwood Lane, and took a portable GPS unit. Also, overnight on Dec. 18/19, someone burglarized a vehicle in the 1800 block of Sevilla Drive. On Dec. 18 or 19, someone got into an unlocked vehicle in the 1700 block of Avondale and took an iPad.

Catalytic Converter Thefts:

Between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. on Dec. 19, someone stole a catalytic converter from a Toyota Tacoma pickup in a parking lot in the 5000 block of Foothills Blvd.

Overnight on Dec. 19/20, a catalytic converter was stolen from a Toyota 4-Runner in an apartment complex in the 8800 block of Sierra College Blvd.

Teen Arrested on Suspicion of Possessing Stolen Property

At 10:10 p.m. on Dec. 20, officers observed a man sitting in a parked car in a retail parking lot in the 1700 block of Santa Clara Drive, acting suspiciously.  Officers contacted the man and searched his car.  They found items commonly used as burglar's tools, and a backpack containing several portable GPS mapping devices and other suspected stolen items.  Three of the GPS units had been stolen from vehicles in Rocklin.  The suspect, an 18-year-old male from Rocklin, was arrested on suspicion of possessing stolen property and burglar's tools.

GPS Helps Find Stolen Phone

On Dec. 19, a woman reported her cell phone was stolen from her workplace in Elk Grove.  She was able to use the GPS technology in her phone to trace it to a home in the New Meadows area of north Roseville.  She contacted Roseville Police, and officers went to the suspect house, recovered the stolen phone and arrested the 35-year-old male resident on suspicion of possessing stolen property.

Vehicle-Related Crime:

Between Dec. 12 and 19, someone slashed the tire of a car and scratched graffiti into the tailgate of a pickup in the 1400 block of Hickory.

Between 10 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. on Dec. 19, a thief stole a purse from a vehicle in a retail parking lot in the 900 block of Pleasant Grove Boulevard. The unknown thief was able to reach through a partially open side window, unlock the car and take the purse, which the victim had hidden under a window screen on the floorboard.

Two vehicle burglaries were reported in an apartment complex in the 1100 block of Stone Canyon Drive. The burglaries most likely happened overnight Dec. 19/20.  The car burglar entered one car by popping the apparently unlocked hatchback window lock, then rummaged through the glove box and center console.   The thief got into another car through a window that was rolled down a few inches (inserting something through the window opening to unlock the door).  The thief rummaged through the car, but fortunately didn't find anything of value to steal.

Overnight Dec. 19/20, someone siphoned gasoline from two pickups in the 1600 block of Etchingham Drive.

Between 2:15 p.m. and 5:15 p.m. on Dec. 20, someone stole a black utility trailer from the 8400 block of Washington Boulevard.

Commercial Burglaries Roundup:

Sometime between Nov. 18 and 28, someone burglarized an office building under construction in the 1000 block of Douglas, taking tools and building materials.