Car thefts, break-ins accelerate in Boardman

BOARDMAN -- Car thieves have been running rampant in the township since mid-August, and while police continue to investigate, they say the problem could get worse before it improves.

A survey of Boardman Police Department reports shows the problem began on or about Aug. 10, with a break-in on Westport Drive.

A retired Youngstown police detective was the victim. His 2022 Kia Telluride was broken into, and his wallet containing his detective sergeant's badge was stolen. Shortly after the break-in, the wallet and badge were found discarded farther along Westport.

The incidents continued Aug. 14 with a break-in in the 4100 block of Glenwood Avenue, in which the rear driver's side window of a Honda Civic was broken and the intruder pried open the steering column and removed the ignition cylinder.

Another report shows a similar crime attempted on that date in the 4000 block of Glenwood, and a third report says a handicap placard was stolen from a vehicle parked in the 8500 block of Southern Boulevard.

The break-ins resumed Aug. 17, when a landscaping contractor's backpack, containing business and personal documents and keys to his home and personal vehicle, was stolen from his landscaping trailer.

Since then, about 20 more instances of vehicles being stolen or cars being ransacked and valuables taken have been reported. The crimes have occurred at residences and in parking lots at local businesses.

The most recent incidents include a Hyundai Sonata stolen from a local dealership lot after its owner brought it in for repairs. The car was found Aug. 27 in the parking lot at the Bridge of Hope Church on Glenwood Avenue. Police said they have security video from the dealership.

Another occurred Wednesday in a neighborhood near Mill Creek Park. Mill Creek police helped Boardman police search the area around East Golf Drive, though they failed to locate a suspect. The thief's attempt was unsuccessful, and he ran when a security light turned on. A security camera showed a tall, thin man with a dark hooded jacket, jeans and a hat.

POLICE ACTIVITY

Despite being thwarted on Wednesday, police have made arrests and questioned individuals found in the area of some of the thefts.

On Aug. 27, they arrested Garrett Wade Brewster, 29, of Shields Road, on a warrant out of Ashtabula County for felony robbery. Brewster was riding a bike on Market Street near Meadowbrook Avenue and earlier had been observed riding near Beechwood Drive. Some of the vehicle thefts have occurred in this area, and a residential burglary had occurred there earlier that evening.

On Aug. 15, police received reports of four people attempting to break into vehicles at Schwebel's Baking Co. parking lot on Midlothian Boulevard. One responding officer saw three people in the lot and watched one begin punching the window of a vehicle before they realized police were there. The three fled toward Zedaker Street, where they met another person.

Other officers located three of them shortly thereafter, nearby on Midlothian Boulevard. A 14-year-old and a 15-year-old were charged with possession of criminal tools and curfew violations, and a 16-year-old was charged with criminal trespassing and curfew violation, according to police.

Patrol Sgt. Glenn Patton said Boardman police are investigating every one of the incidents, but they also are looking for patterns.

"We are actively looking at them as individual incidents," he said. "But we also watch collectively. We look for patterns in certain areas, and how the suspects act, until we get evidence back that will help us identify the person or make an arrest."

Patton said, so far, it is mostly juveniles that have been identified, and police are uncertain if all the crimes are related.

"Right now, we're not 100 percent sure," he said. "Unfortunately, there are several groups of juveniles active in this area, and in the county in general."

Though juveniles seem to be the focus of the investigation for the moment, Patton said more professional thieves from out of town and out of state do frequent Boardman and Mahoning County. He said if they are not involved in the current rash of thefts, they may be active soon.

FELONY LANE GANG

Patton said organized criminal groups are known to come into the area in September and October, when youth sports tournaments occur. The thieves will target parking lots at recreation areas or commercial centers.

One such group is known as the "Felony Lane Gang." The group originated in Florida more than a decade ago, and despite countless high-profile arrests and convictions of its members, it still operates.

The gang members travel north on Interstate 95 and operate everywhere along the East Coast and the Midwest, including Ohio, authorities said. They tend to target vehicles driven by mothers and other women because of how the enterprise operates.

The men in the group will commit the thefts by breaking into vehicles and stealing purses. They steal checks, credit cards and identification, and then have the women in the group go to different banks to cash fraudulent checks for thousands of dollars at the drive-thru window.

The women usually use the lane farthest from the drive-thru window to minimize the chances of being identified, and that far lane has become known as the "felony lane," hence the group's nickname.

PRECAUTIONS

Patton said residents can and should take precautions. He said some are obvious, such as making sure doors are locked and valuables are not left in the vehicle or at least not out in plain sight.

"Also, think of lighting around your home," he said. "Even if you don't see it, a neighbor will." That was the case in at least a few of the incidents in Boardman, according to the reports.

"The sooner we're aware, the sooner we can act and maybe recover the vehicle or the belongings," Patton said.

Good lighting and vigilant neighbors can serve to discourage thieves, and Patton said word tends to travel fast in criminal circles about which neighborhoods are riskier.

Because juveniles seem to be committing many of the crimes, Patton said watching for and reporting young people out past curfew can help as a preventive measure and aid police with the overall investigation.

"If you see groups of kids out past curfew, contact us. We can intervene and get them home, and if they are up to no good, they will realize people in that neighborhood pay attention."

He said that paying attention and being a good witness is important, but he cautioned against confronting would-be thieves directly.

"Very often, they have screwdrivers or other tools that could be used as weapons," he said.

While professional crooks or those with substance abuse problems breaking into cars for drug money may pose more of a threat; Patton said he has encountered plenty of juveniles who become violent when confronted.

Patton said Boardman police are focused on the investigation and are working with others in the county.

"Our agency has been working with other local agencies to keep an eye on patterns and share suspect information, to make it more difficult for these types of things to occur," he said.

dpompili@vindy.com