These crooks returned to steal the car a second time.
Irwin Lighthouse can’t believe it. On June 3, someone broke into his home and then made off with his 2002 Toyota Avalon.
But that was just the beginning.
“They broke into the house and stole the keys to get the car,” Lighthouse says. “The police found it in the neighborhood later and returned it. They came back (two nights later) and stole it again before I could get it re-keyed.”
The police were able to recover the Lighthouses’ laptop computer after it had been thrown into a ditch during the initial car theft and home burglary. The car was then stolen again June 5 and wasn’t recovered. The theft is very frustrating and puzzling for the Lighthouses.
“It’s terrible — what else can you say?” he says. “We think it was kids, because they stole whiskey and things they could use. They didn’t even take any electronics.”
Also taken in the initial burglary were: two cell phones, a wallet with credit cards and a driver’s license, and a black purse. As to whether he has experienced crime in the past?
“Nothing like this before,” Lighthouse says.
Dallas Police Lt. Gloria Perez with the Northeast Patrol Division says there hasn’t been any new information on the case.
She advises people to remove valuables from cars and to park in well-lit areas. Also, if a garage is available, parking the car in the garage can be a simple step in crime prevention. Perez says cars are occasionally found close to the scene of the crime.
“It is not likely, but [stolen cars] can be recovered in the same neighborhood,” she says. “The crime was probably committed by juveniles. But we have no more information in this particular case.”
