Maryland Community Newspapers Online
Thefts from vehicles have dramatically increased over the last three weeks in some residential areas of Gaithersburg and Montgomery Village, a spike that is part of a larger county trend, according to police.
There were 56 thefts from vehicles along Travis Avenue in Gaithersburg and from communities around Stedwick Road and east of Lost Knife Circle in Montgomery Village between Oct. 14 and Nov. 4, according to a Montgomery County Police statement. The thefts occurred in two of the six beats that comprise county police's 6th District in Montgomery Village, according to Officer Oliver Janney, a police spokesman.
"That's very high, extremely high," Janney said. Though the spike is unusual, he said, thefts from vehicles are on the rise throughout the county. "It's occurring every night in most districts," Janney said.
The incidents in Gaithersburg and Montgomery Village account for 60 percent of the 94 thefts from vehicles reported during the three-week period, according to police crime summaries.
Most of the thefts occurred overnight and were discovered by the owners in the morning, Janney said. Some of the vehicles had their windows broken or doors pried open, while others were left unlocked, according to the statement. Stolen items include GPS devices, cell phones, satellite radios, cash, coins and credit cards, police said.
It is possible the incidents are connected, Janney said, and there are no suspects.
