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40 vehicles ransacked, two stolen in one night
by Gregory R. Norfleet · News · October 19, 2017


Police estimate it took less than 90 minutes for juveniles — possibly organized into groups — to sweep through neighborhoods early Sunday and ransack up to 40 unlocked cars while stealing two others.


West Branch and North Liberty police recovered the stolen cars — one crashed not far from its home and a second found parked in North Liberty with two Iowa City juveniles inside.

Between 12:01 and 1:30 a.m., the thieves struck cars on Thomas Drive, Wetherell, Downey, West Orange and Oliphant, as well as First, Second, Fourth and Sixth streets, according to the West Branch Police Department. They stole things like keys, credit cards, sunglasses, a knife, a GPS device, purses and billfolds from five of the vehicles.

Owners of other 35 or so vehicles reported that someone opened glove compartments and consoles or pulled down visors and overturned floor mats, dumping contents but not taking anything. West Branch Police Chief Mike Horihan said it appeared the suspects looked quickly and left quickly when finding nothing of immediate interest.

Horihan said witnesses reported seeing juveniles that night wearing hoodies, with the hoods pulled up. He said law enforcement believes someone dropped off the juveniles, kept in contact, possibly with cell phones, then picked them up and left town.

In the cases with the stolen cars, Horihan said it appears the juveniles might have meant to use them simply as a way to get out of town, then abandon them.

The two in custody “have not been that forthcoming” with information of possible accomplices, the police chief said.

“It’s much bigger than just these two,” he said. “It’s a group or multiple groups. They came all at once. … It was very organized.”

Jodee Stoolman, a candidate for City Council whose car was the one stolen and crashed in a ditch near Wapsi Park, attended Monday’s council meeting to ask why the city does not offer full-time police patrols.

“Yes, I had my car stolen. I left my keys in it. That’s my fault,” she said. “But when they enter the garage and I’m home, in the house — if I can’t feel safe, then we have a problem.”

Mayor Roger Laughlin said the police department, with only four officers, can offer full-time “coverage” — always having an officer on-call — but it would need a fifth officer for around-the-clock “patrol.”

Council member Jordan Ellyson said the city’s budget is tight.

“We just did a $21,000 cut from the police department,” she said.

“Is a life worth $21,000?” Stoolman responded.

Laughin said Stoolman “can’t blame the police for criminals.”

Stoolman said she understood that, and noted that the suspects are from outside of town.

City Administrator Redmond Jones noted that the city council has a goal-setting meeting coming up in November.

“Do we want 24/7 patrols?” he said. “It’s one of those values the community will have to work through.”

Horihan said he and two other officers “are working hot and heavy” fielding calls, collecting reports and investigating.

“I can also assure you that our West Branch Police Department will be vehement in its resolve to bring those responsible to justice,” he said, noting that similar crime sweeps happened in Tiffin and Lone Tree, but “not to this extent.”

He said a couple of residents almost caught the suspects in the act when they either stepped outside or arrived home and saw car doors closed yet interior lights either on or in the process of dimming.

Police are asking businesses with cameras like Jack & Jill grocery store and the banks to share video.

“These (juveniles) probably committed more crime in one day than we have in a whole year,” Horihan said, from misdemeanors to felonies.

Horihan said the North Liberty police received reports of people driving slowly through neighborhoods, acting suspicious and looking at cars early Sunday morning. Police located a parked vehicle, ran the license plate number and found it was stolen out of West Branch. They then found the juveniles inside the car, a Monte Carlo, and took them into custody.

“People think West Branch is a pretty safe place, then people come from out of town,” Horihan said. “For some people, it would never dawn on them to lock their cars, but times change.”

Calling these “crimes of opportunity,” made easier with unlocked cars and more tempting with valuables in view, the police chief encouraged people to lock cars and report suspicious activity.

Several residents left comments on the Voices of West Branch Facebook page, announcing their cars had been ransacked and warning neighbors.

“Boy does this leave one feeling violated and uneasy,” read one comment, stating that the criminals got into her vehicle and her neighbors on West Orange Street.

Some called for 24/7 police patrols.

A man stated that this was the second time his vehicle had been ransacked.

“I thought I lived in a community where it should be OK to leave them unlocked from time to time!” he wrote, also calling on more police patrols. “I’ll just have to take justice in my own hands.”

Another woman comment that her car was ransacked prior to 11 p.m. Saturday, noting that she and her husband were home but nothing was taken.