Columbia County sees a flare-up in gun thefts from cars

EVANS, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - Columbia County deputies are dealing with an outbreak of gun thefts from cars in the past several days.

It’s been a problem for years across the CSRA, and Richmond County deputies have gone as far as to say stealing a gun is the main motive in most car burglaries.

But last week was a banner week in Columbia County, with thefts peaking on Friday and Saturday.

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Among the cases:

• Between 3:07 and 3:10 a.m. Friday, a 41-year-old resident of the 400 block of Old Belair Road was woken up by a notification from his security camera set up around his driveway. The camera showed a person in all-black clothing rummaging through his Chevrolet Suburban. The resident went outside and fired some warning shots from his Glock, and the thief fled with a purse containing a Micro Kimber .380 pocket-size pistol.
• While taking his son to school on Friday morning, a 33-year-old resident of the 200 block of Amelia Drive in Martinez noticed his pistol was missing from its normal spot in a storage compartment. He checked his surveillance cameras and spotted a person wearing a hoodie and long pants in his yard walking toward his truck at 2:10 a.m.
• On Friday afternoon, a 28-year-old man got into his Toyota 4Runner in the 4600 block of Earhart Drive in Martinez and noticed the glove box was open and the vehicle had been rummaged through. His Canik TP9 handgun had been stolen.
• On Friday evening, a 31-year-old resident of the 4700 block of Cutter Mill Road in Martinez realized her handgun wasn’t in its usual spot under the driver’s seat. She told deputies she’d locked her vehicle the night before but left the windows cracked open.
• On Sunday morning, a 34-year-old resident of the 4300 block of Riverwatch Parkway in Martinez noticed his front enger-side window had been broken out. Several items were stolen, including his Sig Sauer P365 handgun. The thief also took his car battery.
• On Thursday, a 34-year-old man reported someone had stolen his gun out of his car in the 4400 block of Evans to Locks Road. When he got off work, he noticed his gun wasn’t where he’d left it in the enger seat, and he first thought it had fallen to the floorboard and didn’t think too much of it. Later when he searched his vehicle thoroughly, he realized it had been stolen.
• On Feb. 2, a 25-year-old resident of the 4600 block of Brookwood Lane near Grovetown reported both unsecured vehicles parked in front of his home had been ransacked. Among the items stolen was a handgun.

Authorities urge people above all to lock their cars. But also they say you should use a gun safe that’s specifically made for vehicles.

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