By Meg Peters
Review Co-Editor
A recent string of larcenies, including those that occurred over the past week at two daycare facilities in Orion Township, is believed to be connected to similar crimes in northern Oakland County, according to the Oakland County Sheriff’s Department.
The type of theft, which targets valuable belongings inside parked vehicles at daycare centers, athletic clubs and school parking lots, was similarly reported in cases in Rochester Hills and the City of Troy.
It is believed these multiple thefts region wide are connected to an out-of-state group of suspects who move between affluent communities and take valuables from vehicles.
Orion Substation Commander Lieutenant Dan Toth said the property crimes committed by LFA (larceny from auto) groups are ‘crimes of opportunity,? and often occur when a vehicle is left unattended for short periods of time.
The majority of the crimes have occurred during 7 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. when drivers momentarily leave their vehicle.
‘We want to educate people on how not to become a victim,? he said. ‘If you are dropping your kids off at the daycare center, at school, or even if you are going shopping, don’t leave valuables out in plain view when leaving your vehicles, and also remember to always lock your doors.?
The latest larcenies in Orion occurred Wednesday, Oct. 7, at about 7:45 a.m. in the parking lot of the Rainbow Child Care Center in the 2200 block of S. Lapeer Rd.
According to police reports, two separate larcenies were reported from different vehicles within moments as parents were taking their children inside.
In the first incident, the victim was returning to her vehicle, and unlocked it with a key fob from a distance away.
The suspect had crouched by the side of her vehicle, and once unlocked, could grab her purse and flee the parking lot using a get-away car.
Moments later, the other victim discovered her car window had been smashed and her purse was also missing.
Video and witness descriptions of the suspect and get-away vehicle include a black man with a medium build in his 20’s wearing a dark hoodie and grey pants. The vehicle is newer, dark colored four-door sedan, and believed to have an unknown Ohio license plate.
The two larcenies from Wednesday followed a similar larceny reported Monday, October 5, at the Pee Wee Patch Child Development Center located in the 1700 block of S. Lapeer Rd.
The suspect had also broken the passenger window of a vehicle and stolen the victim’s purse while the driver momentarily stepped inside of the daycare center.
The incidents are still under investigation.
The Oakland County Sheriff’s Office is working with local, state and federal agencies regarding these types of thefts from automobiles, which resemble similar crimes committed by a nationwide web of criminal activity.
It’s called the Felony Lane Gang.
Using out of state rental cars with tinted windows as the get-away, felons target women who leave their purses in their car and subsequently steal from their bank accounts after they flee with the purses.
Like all crimes of opportunity, Toth recommends the following tips to help prevent thefts from vehicles:
? Do not leave valuables in plain view inside vehicles and lock the vehicle at all times. Property crimes are crimes of opportunity and thieves look for easy targets.
? Be aware of your surroundings at all times and report suspicious persons, vehicles and circumstances immediately to the police.
? Avoid unlighted parking structures or lots.
? Make these safety tips ‘rules? that you always follow, even when in a hurry.?