Area vehicle, property thefts increasing
Recent vehicle and property thefts in Phillips County and surrounding areas serve as stark reminders to residents to be on alert for anything suspicious.
Holyoke Police Chief Doug Bergstrom said it’s important for community members to make sure they lock their vehicles and do not leave their keys in their cars. With holiday shopping in full swing, it is also important to avoid leaving gifts or other valuables inside a vehicle. It is also recommended to periodically check vehicles and other property to make sure all is well.
To reduce theft of packages that are delivered to doorsteps, Bergstrom advised considering delivery to a more secure, alternate location or to ensure it’s delivered when it can either be accepted quickly or monitored.
Between 7-7:30 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 12, a rural Holyoke resident was getting ready to go to work. He and his wife were making coffee when they heard his pickup start.
They looked out the window in time to see the pickup leave the driveway followed by a green or teal SUV.
He tried to follow the thieves in his wife’s car south on Highway 385, but he eventually lost them as he said they were likely driving over 100 mph.
The thieves turned west on County Road 2, driving the pickup into a ditch. After trying unsuccessfully to get the pickup out, the thieves left it where it was.
When the pickup was discovered, it was found that the thieves had ripped out a Bluetooth radio and cut several other wires in the vehicle in an apparent effort to prevent GPS tracking.
Another pickup and an attached trailer were reported stolen at about 8 a.m. that same day near County Road 2 and County Road 35, 10 miles south and 2 miles west of Holyoke.
Taylore Schalnus said she was doing some chores around the house and went to get her wallet out of her pickup. The problem was that when she arrived outside, the pickup and the trailer attached to it were both gone.
In the snow that morning, Schalnus saw something odd about the direction of the tire tracks.
“I looked at the tracks, and no one pulls the truck out in that direction,” she said, adding that after contacting her boyfriend to make sure he didn’t know the pickup’s whereabouts, she decided to look for the stolen pickup and trailer.
Heading toward Highway 385 on County Road 2, she discovered the first stolen pickup in the ditch and notified the authorities.
Arriving at Highway 385, Schalnus said she could tell by the trailer tracks that the thieves had turned north toward Holyoke. Her pursuit ended there, as there was not enough fuel in her vehicle to make the drive.
The trailer was eventually found, but the pickup is still missing.
Schalnus said she wants to spread the word about these thefts to try to keep others from going through the same experience.
“Just be aware of vehicles coming in and out,” she said, adding that people should be sure to keep an eye out for anything suspicious. “Make sure you have everything locked up.”