Decatur Police Urge Vigilance After String of Car Thefts

Decatur Police are urging residents to watch out for unusual activity in their neighborhoods after five vehicles have been reported stolen in the past ten days -- sometimes while neighbors were watching the suspects.

Four of the thefts were in the Northeast zone and one in the Southeast zone. Three vehicles were stolen during daytime hours, one was taken overnight and one was stolen over a three-day period.

Residents should watch out for their neighbors and call police immediately if they see suspicious behavior or circumstances. Your awareness and calls help guide the officers in the right direction and result in prevention and arrests.

• On June 30, a 1998 Plymouth Grand Voyager was stolen from the 100 block of Champlain Street between 8 a.m. and 5:50 p.m. Investigators later learned the vehicle was found by DeKalb Police before the victim had even reported the vehicle stolen to Decatur Police.

• On June 30 at about 5 p.m., a 1997 Honda Accord was stolen from the 100 block of Candler Oaks Lane. The owner reported he was walking and saw a vehicle that looked identical to his at the red light on Kirk Road at South Candler Street. He returned to where his vehicle had been parked and it was missing. He could not see the suspect. A piece of door molding was found on the ground, which means the door was pried open. The vehicle was found abandoned later that day in south DeKalb County.

• On July 4, a 1994 Nissan Pathfinder was stolen from the roadway in the 400 block of Sycamore Drive between 2 and 3:50 p.m. The owner had been working on the vehicle in front of his residence and left the key in the ignition; the vehicle was stolen when he momentarily went inside. A neighbor later reported seeing a middle-aged black male, skinny with short hair, wearing a white ball cap get into the vehicle and drive away. The neighbor thought the man was helping work on the vehicle at the time.

• On July 6, a 1999 Toyota Corolla was reported stolen from the roadway in the 200 block of Sycamore Place. The vehicle was stolen between noon on July 3 and 07-06-2014 at 10 a.m. on July 6.

• On July 10, a 1996 Honda Accord was reported stolen from a driveway in the 200 block of Lockwood Terrace. The vehicle was stolen between 7 p.m. July 9 and 5 a.m. on July 10.