The Victim: Glenna Thomas
The Crime:
SUV burglary
Date:
Thursday, Dec. 30
Time:
Between 7:30 p.m. and 7 a.m.
Location:
10500 block of Longmeadow

The burglars ripped out the seats.

As an emergency room nurse, Glenna Thomas is used to a bit of stress. On an average day, she wakes up early and heads to the hospital to deal with tense situations and patients with serious medical issues. Recently, Thomas was loaded with even more stress when her 2008 Chevrolet Tahoe was broken into ­­— the rear window shattered.

Sign up for our newsletter!

* indicates required

“I was coming out to get in the car in front of the house about 7 a.m., going in a little bit later for work that day, and saw the rear window smashed,” Thomas says.

Glass littered the car, and the third-row seats, frequent targets for thieves, were removed. Two portable DVD players, valued at $200, were also taken. While insurance covered the repairs to the SUV, the Thomases were left with a hefty deductible payment. The repair shop told Thomas her car was the third SUV it had seen that week needing repairs because of a third-row seat theft.

“I was pretty annoyed,” she says of the crime. “At least we’re just out of pocket $500.”

Thomas says she loves her L Streets neighborhood home and has lived there four years. She is accustomed to people walking dogs and running through the neighborhood as early as 5 a.m. The crime was quite unexpected, Thomas says.

“It’s a nice neighborhood. There are lots of friendly people, and I never hear of any crime around here,” she says. “It was a bit of a shocker.”

Dallas Police Lt. Mackie D. Ham of the Northeast Patrol Division says thieves sometimes target high-end SUV seats and accessories. Anything of value from a nice vehicle can be stolen and sold, he says, such as third-row seats and even truck tailgates. It doesn’t take long for a thief to grab them and go, Ham says.

“We see this from time to time, but I don’t think this is a hot ticket item that is being taken,” he says. “The third-row seats in these types of vehicles are designed to be removed with a quick-release lever. It only takes a few seconds to remove them.”

01.07

Date when Trekessa Gordon, a Lake Highlands mom, was killed by a hit-and-run driver, Carlos Alberto Cruz-Lobo, while crossing Central Expressway at Park Boulevard in Plano

2

Number of hours it took to clear the freeway after the accident

11, 16 & 22

Ages of her three children; the two youngest attend White Rock Elementary and Lake Highlands High School

Source: Dallas Police Department