By Michael Copley
Staff Writer

The Powhatan Sheriff’s Office is working to stop a week-long crime wave in the county. Over the past week, residents have called the Sheriff’s Office reporting four separate “batches” of vehicles being broken into and as of Friday morning, two county vehicles had been stolen.

Detective Jeff Searfoss of the Powhatan Sheriff’s Office said the cars that have been targeted have all been unlocked, and in the case of the two stolen vehicles, the owners left the keys in the car.

As of Friday September 4, the Sheriff’s Office had received similar reports of unlocked cars being broken into in county subdivisions.

“People need to lock their cars and take the keys out,” Searfoss said Friday. And he said residents should lock their homes and pay attention to unusual activity. One resident whose car was rifled through reported hearing the family dog bark, but that resident did not investigate the barking.

“Pay attention to the warnings your pets might be giving you,” said Searfoss.

The first calls went into the Sheriff’s office on the morning of August 29. The thieves went through unlocked vehicles in the Branchway Forest Subdivision and police found evidence of a car that had been stolen out of Chesterfield. Evidence collected at the scene was sent to the Virginia State Lab for analysis. Items stolen range from currency and coin to music CDs and a GPS.

The second batch of calls went into the Sheriff’s Office on the morning of September 1. According to reports, multiple vehicles were targeted in the Glenn Ridge Subdivision; all of the vehicles were unlocked and police said one garage had been entered.

On the morning of September 2, Powhatan Detectives responded to the Mill Quarter area. There they found the vehicle that was stolen out of Chesterfield. The thieves dropped that stolen car and picked up another. The keys, police said, were in the vehicle that was taken from Mill Quarter. 

On September 5, police recovered the vehicle stolen from Mill Quarter. It was left on Judes Ferry Road and another car was taken from Chestnut Oaks to replace the vehicle left behind. Powhatan Sheriff’s Office is “looking for the stolen vehicle, described as a 2007 GMC truck, Va Tag KFT 8599.” The inscription “Interior 2000” is written in blue lettering on both sides of the vehicle.

On September 7, the Sheriff’s Office said the vehicle stolen from the Chestnut Oaks subdivision in Powhatan was recovered on Hull Street Road in Richmond. Powhatan authorities continue to search for those responsible in this latest crime spree.

Searfoss said detectives “do not have any suspects in mind at this time,” and he asked residents to lock their vehicles and houses and to watch out for suspicious activity.

A representative for the Sheriff’s Office said the thieves are targeting vehicles in subdivisions with easy access to main thoroughfares. That source said patrols are being increased to subdivisions in the county.

Contact the Sheriff’s Office at 598-5652 or 598-5656 with information or to report an incident.