Car burglars hit Longboat Key

Manatee and Sarasota counties' car burglary trend has hit Longboat Key.

Longboat Key Police Chief Al Hogle announced unknown people entered into 21 unlocked vehicles Friday, Oct. 30, on the island. There were no signs of forced entry to any of the 21 cars involved.

Seaplace, 1925 Gulf Of Mexico Drive, had two burglaries; Longboat Arms, 3320 Gulf of Mexico Drive, had one burglary; Beach Harbor Club, 3808 Gulf of Mexico, had 10 burglaries; and Bayport, 3900 Gulf of Mexico Drive, had eight burglaries.

All of the burglaries were made to unlocked vehicles with no signs of forced entry to any of the cars involved. The glove box papers identified most of the involved vehicles. There were numerous items stolen, including wallets, credit cards, cash and GPS devices. Some of these items were recovered outside of the vehicles and are being processed for fingerprints.

An identification technician processed the vehicles for fingerprints on Saturday, Oct. 31.

Hogle said the Longboat Key Police Department would be checking condominium parking lots for unlocked vehicles and securing them because of the incidents.

A "We Found Your Vehicle Unlocked" notice similar to what the police department uses for unlocked doors on businesses will be left inside all unlocked vehicles.

“We urge everyone to lock and secure your vehicle when it is parked,” Hogle said. “Do not leave valuable objects in plain sight from the windows.”

Contact Kurt Schultheis at [email protected].