LYNCHBURG, Va. – Lynchburg police saying "lock it up" and take your valuables with you, after more than a dozen car break-ins and thefts from unlocked cars over the weekend.
Lynchburg police were called to Walden Ponds Apartments near Lakeside Drive after eight cars had been tampered with and had things stolen from inside.
Then just about eight minutes down the road at the Kemper Street train station --- families came back from vacation to find their car windows broken.
Police say between Friday and Monday morning there were nearly two dozen reported incidents for damage to vehicles or thefts from vehicles.
Below are the places police reported to.
9/20 – four reports of car windows being busted at Kemper Street station
9/20 – one report of larceny from vehicle in 300-block of Wadsworth Street
9/21 – one report of car window being busted in the 300-block of Grove Street
9/21 – one report of tampering with vehicle in 2300-block of Lakeside Drive
9/21 – one report of a larceny from vehicle in 2600-block of Fort Avenue
9/21 – one report of a larceny from vehicle in the 1000-block of Robins Road
9/21 – one report of a car window being busted and items taken from vehicle in the 2300-block of Mayflower Drive
9/21 – one report of a car window being busted and money taken from a vehicle in the 4000-block of Wards Road
9/22 – one report of a larceny from vehicle in the 1900-block of Fort Avenue
9/22 – one report of a larceny from vehicle in the 300-block of Graves Mill Road
9/23 – one report of a car window being busted at Kemper Street Station
9/23 – four reports of car windows being busted in 3300-block of Odd Fellows
9/23 - two reports of windows smashed doesn’t appear anything taken in the 5700-block of Seminole Avenue.
9/23 – one report of a window smashed and larceny from vehicle in the 5600-block of Seminole Avenue
9/23 – at least eight reports of larcenies from vehicles in the Walden Pond Apartment complex
9/23 – one report of larceny from vehicle in the 2000-block of Grace Street
9/23 – one report of a larceny from vehicle in the 3100-block of Link Road
9/23 – one report of a larceny from vehicle in the 100-block of Colonnade Street
9/23 – one report of a larceny from vehicle in the 800-block of Federal Street
9/23 – one report of a larceny from vehicle in the 200-block of Devonshire Road
10 News spoke with Mary Abbott, of Mary Jane’s Café near the train station.
She says she's worked at the cafe since 1971 and cars there have never been tampered with.
Police say a lot of these incidents are happening because people are leaving their car doors unlocked.
They are working to see if these incidents are related.
“Yeah, I just dread to see it start up down here,” Abbott said.
“Whether you can or cannot lock your doors, I would never leave anything of value in your car. If it’s important to you, I would not leave it in your car,” Officer Stephen Rippy said.
Police tell 10 News some of the items stolen included cellphones, iPads, money, ID’s, Social Security cards and sunglasses.