County police are investigating a string of vehicle break-ins and thefts that occurred in three White River Township neighborhoods early Sunday morning.
There were three vehicle break-ins in Highland Park, five in Willow Lakes and four in Willow Lakes East. Most cars were in driveways at the time of theft, according to Johnson County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Randy Werden.
Neighborhood security cameras recorded the suspect, though the video makes it difficult to see him, Werden said.
A man saw him outside in his neighborhood just before daylight and stepped outside. The two made eye contact before the suspect ran and jumped a fence, Werden said.
Relying on video and the man’s account, police said the man wore a black, hooded sweatshirt, black gloves and black mask. He carried a backpack and had tools to remove car windows.
“He’ll either pry a window out altogether and throw it on the ground or he’ll break the window out if he finds something in the cars that he’s wanting to get into and they’re locked, or he’ll just get into the open cars and rummage through them,” Werden said.
In one security video, the suspect was seen working on a window when he noticed a car approaching, Werden said. He stopped, hid between the bushes by the house, waited for the car to pass, then finished the job.
Only one person has appeared in security videos, so deputies believe the break-ins are the work of one man, Werden said. The pattern is also consistent with the work of an individual, he explained.
With a group of people working together, it’s normal to see a lot more cars in one area get broken into, he said, “but when it’s a guy by himself, normally, they get into a couple and then take what they see, then move on and move out.”
The sheriff’s office said it believes another string of incidents in Greenwood, near where the city bumps against the township border, was done by the same person.
“What he looks like and what he’s wearing and the way he’s doing this leads us to believe he’s probably one and the same person,” Werden said.
The Greenwood Police Department is investigating those incidents, but it did not respond to a request for comment by press time.
Until the suspect is apprehended, Werden advised that people in the area park in their garages if they can, keep their porch or security lights on overnight and move any valuables into the house or lock them in the trunk so they are not visible.
Anyone with information is encouraged to call the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office tip line at 317-346-4653 or whatever agency covers their area if they’re outside the department’s jurisdiction.
Originally published in Southside Times, 2018. Republished here for archival and portfolio purposes.