Eleven vehicles were broken into late Saturday night and into Sunday morning, according to police reports.

Police Chief Wes Lovett said this weekend was the first time this year the Police Department has received reports regarding vehicle break-ins. He said the incidents seemed to all occur between Hickory Street and Birch Street from midnight to 3 a.m. Sunday.

Five of the 11 vehicles were reported to have items stolen. Lovett said the stolen items were miscellaneous, like loose change or random items from somebody’s billfold. 

“It appeared that they didn’t really take a whole lot of time going through the cars so it was just something that they could see and grab quickly,” he said. 

There was one vehicle found with a broken window and a stolen item.

“It was a vehicle that had an item, an expensive item, that was in plain sight,” Lovett said. 

This was also the only vehicle that was locked prior to the crime, Lovett said. The other 10 vehicles were unlocked when they were broken into. 

Lovett said they are still working on finding the people responsible for this series of break-ins. He said there will be extra patrolling in the area at the same time of day the break-ins occurred. 

“If anybody has any footage in that area, between about midnight and three in the morning, we’d appreciate them contacting us,” he said. “If they have anything under their Ring doorbell camera or any other type of camera on their home.”

Residents have been posting on Facebook that they’ve been experiencing issues recently. Some are saying their vehicles have been rummaged through while others say they’ve had items stolen. 

Lovett recommends residents ensure they keep their vehicles locked and keep any items out of plain sight. 

If you have any tips or footage regarding these break-ins, contact the Police Department at 785-542-3121.

Outside of vehicle break-ins, some residents have noticed other thefts recently. Devina Garrett said she had her lawn mower stolen Friday night. 

Garrett said her lawn mower was sitting in the driveway on Friday, as it typically is, and was gone Saturday morning. 

Garrett said even though she has cameras, the suspect seemed to know how to avoid them. 

“They were very sneaky,” Garrett said. “I think they’ve done this before. Like, our camera didn’t pick them up at all.”

Garrett’s neighbors were able to get footage of the criminal, she said. That footage is what she sent to the police.

“That’s the only reason we could really file a police report because otherwise the police really can’t do anything,” she said. 

Garrett trusts the Police Department to work hard and find out who is responsible for these crimes. 

“The police are gonna do what they can,” she said. 

Garrett said she encourages other Eudora residents to be more mindful about locking their cars, putting away their items and being on the lookout for these things. 

“If you have a network of people around your neighborhood who care and you pay attention, then this is less likely to happen again,” she said. 

Reach reporter Ryn Drummond at [email protected]

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