Lock Your Car! Rash of Thefts, Burglaries Taking Advantage of Unlocked Cars
Toccoa Chief of Police Jimmy Mize is asking area residents protect themselves and their possessions by taking two simple steps.
“Lock your doors, and if you see something, say something,” Mize said earlier this week as he talked to media representatives regarding a recent rash of “entering vehicle” incidents.
Mize said the occurrences appeared to be crimes of opportunity and were mostly being committed by juveniles who walk local streets at night, trying vehicle doors to see if they are unlocked.
He said if the doors are locked, they will just go on to the next car, but if the car is unlocked, they will look for possessions, and if there are keys in the car, they are likely to take the car.
He said most occurrences are from about 10 p.m. until 5 or 6 a.m., and are not limited to specific neighborhoods, but are happening across Toccoa and the county, as well as other counties and across state lines.
He did say there have been some occurrences of thefts or attempted thefts specifically of Kia vehicles, corresponding to a current TikTok “Kia Challenge.”
He added that often, people see something suspicious, but do not report it, and he said it is important to “see something, say something.”
In a corresponding release to the public on Wednesday, April 10, Rabun County Sheriff Chad Nichols reported that four agencies from northeast Georgia, two from South Carolina and a juvenile case prosecutor from the Mountain Judicial Circuit met at the Rabun County Sheriff’s Office to discuss last weekend’s vehicle theft crime spree. According to the release, investigators and officers shared case files, evidence and leads on the six vehicle thefts and handful of vehicle burglaries that started at the end of last week and continued through late this past Sunday morning.
He reported that, in Rabun County, between 9 p.m. on April 6 and 7 a.m. on April April 7, a number of unidentified suspects entered unlocked vehicles in the Warwoman community and removed personal property. In two cases, the vehicles had a spare key left in the vehicle and it was stolen and wrecked off Highlands Highway in Walhalla, Oconee County, South Carolina. From there, the suspects stole more vehicles before being tracked back into Toccoa at approximately 7 a.m. on Sunday morning.
According to Nichols, investigators conducted neighborhood canvasses, reviewed residential security footage and tracked the suspects’ movement using FLOCK camera systems in both states. On Monday morning, he said Rabun County Investigators executed search warrants that will help track the suspects during the time they were involved in the vehicle thefts and burglaries off Warwoman Road.
The Rabun County Sheriff’s Office is asking for the local community’s help in solving these break-ins and auto thefts. Anyone with additional information or residential security footage in the Warwoman community is asked to contact the Sheriff’s Office at (706) 960-9745.
Additionally, residents are reminded to make sure to secure all belongings and not leave them in a vehicle, and to not leave vehicles unlocked or with the keys left inside.
Drug Tip Line: 706-282-3277
Toccoa Police Department Non-Emergency (during normal business hours): 706-282-3244
Stephens County E911 Dispatch Non-Emergency Number: (706) 779-3911.