On the morning of Dec. 2, the Buena Vista Police Department responded to reports of three vehicles that had been entered and tampered with during the overnight hours. The incidents occurred in residential areas along Chestnut Avenue and Lombardy Avenue. In each case, the vehicles had been left unlocked, allowing the suspect or suspects to enter and rummage through the contents.
Items taken included loose change, petty cash, and wallets with various contents. Vehicle owners reported that expensive tool sets and unwrapped Christmas gifts were left behind and not taken. Many of the discarded wallet contents — as well as the credit cards, identification cards, and insurance cards inside them — were later recovered in the street by BVPD officers.
Following the incidents, the BVPD made a post to its Facebook page about the thefts, encouraging residents to take precautions to deter thieves, including locking their cars when leaving them, stowing any valuables left in the car out of sight, turning on exterior home lights and using cameras when possible.
The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to speak with any Buena Vista police officer or contact the non-emergency dispatch number at 540-261-6171.
