The Pilot News - Rash of vehicular thefts plagues south side

A vehicle at 1140 South St., say Culver police, was taken during the night hours of May 31, the theft discovered by residents there early the next morning. The vehicle was recovered in Fulton County on the same date. On the morning of July 19, the residents of 1108 South St. reported their vehicle had been left unlocked in the driveway of the residence and was taken during the previous night hours. An investigation led to the vehicle being recovered the same day in the Argos area, having been located using the vehicle’s GPS system.
A vehicle parked in the driveway at 1012 South St. was left unlocked during the night hours prior to July 19 and a checkbook was stolen from inside; the item was recovered August 1 lying in the yard at a nearby home on South Street and later returned to the owner.
Also recovered Aug. 1 was other personal property which was believed to belong to the resident of 908 South Street. The homeowner there told police he discovered his property was missing from his vehicle around July 19, though at the time he didn’t report the matter as he wasn’t sure where the property was missing from. Police believe around July 18, his vehicle was entered and a briefcase removed.
A change purse with an unknown amount of money – as well as two knives – was reported missing July 24 by the residents of 1116 South Street, who also reported their vehicle had been left unlocked in the driveway; the theft likely occurred sometime between July 22 and 24. A package was removed during the afternoon of August 13 from a vehicle in the 100 block of North Main Street as well.
In most cases damage hasn’t been done to the vehicles in question; those vehicles stolen had keys left in the ignition, and items stolen from vehicles were removed from unlocked cars, though in one case on the south side of Culver within the past month, the window of a car belonging to Jan Johnson at 922 S. Plymouth St. was smashed but nothing removed from the vehicle.
While such thefts, of course, have taken place in Culver before, Culver Police Chief Wayne Bean says the recent spike is unusual for this year, and he suspects many if not all the thefts are “probably the same group” (a recent break-in at a home in the same area of town, he adds, is probably unrelated). Whether today’s economy is a factor in the incidents is anybody’s guess, though Bean says there’s definitely been an increase in crime overall in more urban areas north of Culver.
He stresses residents should avoid keeping valuables in plain view in their vehicles, and should take them inside their homes instead. “If people can’t see it, they’re going to keep on moving. They’re usually less apt to break something to get into it,” he adds, encouraging residents to lock vehicle doors.
“A lot of times people will try (car) doors,” Bean notes. “There are two different types of thieves: some will go to the trouble of breaking stuff to get in, and some will go along until they find something open. People get used to leaving their doors open, and you get lax and leave the keys in your car while you run into the gas station or whatever.”
There’s little question the usually quiet and tranquil nature of small-town Culver can be deceptive when it comes to crime.
“There’s crime everywhere,” Bean says. “Culver may not be on the scale of some areas, but we don’t want to invite it.”
The plus side of a small community like Culver, Bean adds, is the vigilance residents can have to help protect neighbors, with whom they can share information as well as with the police.
One south side victim of recent auto crimes, Jan Johnson, says she wants people to be aware of “who’s walking their neighborhoods during the daytime and nighttime. I’m talking to everybody about it. People should be aware.”
The winter months, when Culver is less populous, mean residents should be all the more attentive to potential crime. Bean encourages Culverites not to hesitate to call them with tips and information, adding the department’s longtime number, 574-842-2525, is still the one to call locally (there’s been intermittent confusion over the proper number since the department added an “877” toll-free number for those outside the “842” dialing area).
“People should be on their toes a little bit,” Bean adds. “Can crime happen here? Yeah, it can.”