Residents should think twice about what they leave in their vehicles while they’re in town. At least two people have had their wallet and purse stolen out of their cars while parked in town over the past month.
Mary Jean Sebens said she thinks she left her purse on the front seat of her car while running an errand in town.
“Dumb, I know, but (it’s) one of the beauties of living in this town,” Sebens said. “I’ve never really worried about theft. I’ve looked everywhere but can’t find it so I’m pretty sure it was stolen. I called the police station and they said another person had reported their wallet stolen from their car at the post office the week before.”
Samantha Clay reported her wallet stolen several weeks ago after leaving it in her car downtown. Luckily for Clay, someone found the wallet in the Pioneer Bar parking lot.
“I haven’t been to the Pioneer in months,” Clay said. “Everything was still in it minus the 12 dollars cash I had in there. I canceled everything right after reporting it. I got it back right after I replaced my license and all bank cards. I even had a free coffee punch on my card.”
Police chief Heath Scott said six thefts have been reported during the last month, including the reports of items being stolen from vehicles. Five thefts were reported during the same time period last year.
Last year, police received 16 reports of theft and five reports of burglary, according to Haines Borough Police Department data.
“The total value of reported property loss was $1,380; none of the losses were recovered,” the report states. “No suspects were arrested in any of the burglaries. The suspect(s) forced entry into three of the locations.”