Car prowl spree targets six vehicles, one auto theft

In what seems to be a car-prowling spree, several Bainbridge residents reported last week their vehicles were entered and items were taken.

In what seems to be a car-prowling spree, several Bainbridge residents reported last week their vehicles were entered and items were taken.

In one incident, an island man reported his Subaru Legacy was stolen from a downtown Winslow apartment complex.

It was one of six vehicles that were prowled over a three-day span.

Bainbridge Island police also found a seventh vehicle parked in the downtown area that had been previously reported as stolen in Seattle.

Officers responded to the first report of car prowling on the morning of Tuesday, May 6.

A resident near Lynwood Center found her car parked in a different location than where she parked it the previous evening.

She told police that at about 5 a.m., while she was asleep, she thought she heard her vehicle start, but she dismissed the sound.

It had been parked in the driveway at the time.

At about 6:30 a.m., she went out to her car to leave for work and found it had been moved and parallel parked along the main road from the driveway.

The woman had left the vehicle unlocked the previous evening with the key in the center console.

When she found her car parked on the main road, the doors were still unlocked but the keys were no longer there.

There was also an odor of cigarette smoke in the car.

A truck parked at a private residence also near Lynwood Center was broken into the same day.

Prescription glasses, a GPS and clothing were among the items taken.

The car owner estimated damage to the driver-side door from the break-in and the stolen property to be valued at about $2,500.

The following day, on May 7, officers received a report of a stolen vehicle.

A 1997 Subaru Legacy was found missing from its designated parking spot at a downtown apartment complex Wednesday, May 7.

The car was locked and the owner had both sets of keys.

Using a recording device called “Snapshot,” the owner’s insurance company informed police that the last time the Subaru was started was at 5 a.m. May 7 and ran for about two minutes.

Officers searched the surrounding area and did not find the vehicle.

It is likely the device was observed and removed shortly after the car was taken, police reported.

According to police documents, the Subaru is described as dark green. The rear bumper is bent down from a previous collision.

Police also received a report that a woman parked her vehicle outside a tennis court the same evening of the stolen vehicle report and left the rear windows rolled down.

She returned a couple hours later to find her wallet had been stolen.

On Thursday, May 8, someone entered a Ford Explorer while it was parked at a private residence and stole the key to the vehicle.

A Jeep Cherokee, also parked at the residence, was likewise entered. A Dewalt 20-volt lithium battery drill was stolen, along with the bits.

The owner of the Ford told police that both vehicles were unlocked at the time of the car prowls.

The ignition replacement on the Ford and the power drill were valued at about $500.

A seventh vehicle was found parked on Brien Drive by police around 1:30 a.m. May 8.

After running the license plates, officers discovered it belonged to a Bainbridge resident but had been previously reported stolen out of Seattle.

The car was towed to the house of a relative of the owner until it could be picked up.