Thieves rifling unlocked cars in Happy Valley weren’t happy with the usual haul of spare bridge change, sunglasses and the occasional electronic device – they took the garage door openers, too, and came back later for more.
Lafayette police said a carload of thieves in a 2003 BMW struck a row of homes in Happy Valley between 1 a.m. and 3 p.m. last Tuesday, burglarizing cars on Rose Lane, Meadow Lane, St. Francis Drive and Cristmont Drive and taking garage door openers along with the usual baubles.
Police said the thieves drove off, returning a short time later to drive down the now-familiar streets and using the pilfered remotes to open the associated garage door before driving away again – ostensibly to give the homeowners a chance to wake up and respond to the sound of their garage door lifting in the night. If no one responded, police said, the thieves parked in the home’s driveway and looted the garage.
Neighborhood camera systems captured images of the crew at work and a license number of the car – leads police are currently investigating.
