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ST. GEORGE — A recent rash of 33 vehicle burglaries in Ivins involving three juveniles has prompted police to issue a warning to citizens to lock their vehicles — similar to warnings that have gone out in multiple communities across the state.
In the second alert in less than two days, the first issued Wednesday after four vehicles were broken into in Cedar City, the Santa Clara-Ivins Police Department issued a reminder to residents to lock their vehicles and remove all valuables from the car.
The crime spree in Ivins spanned two days and covered an area of less than a mile across, where 33 vehicles were broken into, Santa Clara-Ivins Police officer Randy Hancey said. Approximately 30 of those vehicles were unlocked at the time of the incident.
In mid-February police began receiving reports of car burglaries in the area and officers spoke with neighbors, who then started discussing the incidents with each other, Hancey said.
Residents also posted notices in church bulletins alerting parishioners to the crimes, and as word got out, police found additional victims who did not initially report the activity.
“Once we started checking with the neighbors, the neighbors got together and alerted each other, and that’s how we found so many of the vehicle burglaries in one certain area,” Hancey said.
Investigators then found that each of the vehicles was parked at residences when the break-ins occurred, and only two or three of those vehicles were locked at the time.
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