Bored Rich Kids in the Woodlands are Stealing stuff! Who would of Thunk it?

May 11, 2009
More vehicle burglaries reported in The Woodlands
Car hopping, where a group of young adults go street-to-street burglarizing unlocked vehicles, is a growing trend in The Woodlands.

In the first quarter of 2009, the number of reported cases doubled over the same period last year, leaving its victims with missing cash and electronics, like GPS navigation systems, laptop computers, cellular phones and iPods.

John Raybon, manager of neighborhood services for the Community Associations of The Woodlands, said would be significantly reduced if residents and visitors would just lock up their cars and homes:

A lot of it is plain and simple opportunity.They go door-to-door trying handles and randomly go through cars. When you bought your car, you paid for locks, so just use them. Don't leave your valuables laying out in plain site.
In the first three months of 2009, there were 268 reports of burglaries from motor vehicles in The Woodlands, up from 132 cases reported in the first quarter of 2008.

While the majority of cases in neighborhoods involve unlocked vehicles, there is a growing trend in the Town Center are of The Woodlands for forced entries into cars, said Sgt. Jason Moore of Montgomery County Sheriff's Office District 6, which covers the central business district.

While most car burglaries in the neighborhoods occur at night, those in Town Center are happening during the day in the late lunch hours from about 1-5 p.m.

One of the areas being particularly hard hit is the Landry's parking lot and police believe victims are being watched as they pack their valuable away in their cars.