Thieves

Police have noticed that thieves are targeting a certain type of car: Hondas.  For the fourth year in a row, it's the number one stolen car in America. In the last month, about 40 Hondas have been stolen from around Wichita and those numbers are increasing.    Barry Peter, manager at Don Schmid Auto Salvage says he has a pretty good idea about why Hondas are being targeted around Wichita and it all comes down to parts. "There have been, if you'll kind of look back at the history, there have been some honest, chop shops around Wichita over the years," says Peter.

A white pick-up slowly rolls through the parking lot of a Wichita car wash in the early morning hours.  The driver and a passenger wait for just the right moment to chain up the payment kiosk, rip it off and flee. According to Wichita Police, the scene has played out a half dozen times in the past four months. "They think there's a lot of money in here but we empty it on a daily basis now because we know that they're hitting us," said Jim Volk, owner of Spiffy Car Wash at Maple & Maize.

If you drive a Honda, you may want to take extra security precautions.  The Wichita Police Department says several Honda cars have been stolen over the past few weeks. According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau, Hondas are considered one of the top vehicles that thieves target.  Although Hondas are being targeted, police say any vehicle is at risk of being stolen.  They encourage residents to buy a steering wheel lock, alarm or immobilizer.  These devices help discourage thieves.

Many people spend a lot of time and money decorating the outside of their home for the holidays.  But some are finding their festive efforts ruined by thieves. So far this year, Wichita police have received reports of six holiday decoration thefts.  One home in south Wichita is the latest to be hit.  It's had more than $500 worth of decorations stolen.  That house belongs to Phillip Stuckey who has continued to expand his front yard display for the past 20 years. "It's not right," Stuckey says.  "The people who decorate, they do it for the community.

Wichita police are looking for two teenagers who stole a bike and a scooter. Police say it happened around 6:30 Tuesday evening in the 1800 block of S. Seneca. Police say a 14-year-old and 12-year-old were riding at Aley Park when they were approached by two older teenagers, believed to be around 16. The two boys demanded their bike and scooter...and attacked the 14-year-old, kicking and hitting him. The 12-year-old rode off, crashed his scooter and hurt his wrist. The boys took off with the bike.

Wichita school district employees are told to lock up their belongings after thieves hit a fourth school.  The latest thefts happened Wednesday at Jackson Elementary on north Woodlawn. Superintendent John Allison sent principals a letter, asking them to remind staff members to lock up their personal and district valuables. The thieves have come into school buildings and into rooms while teachers and faculty are out and busy with other duties, like supervising students at the end of the day.  The thieves have taken purses, wallets and other personal items.

Police say copper thieves cause $750,000 in damages to Kamen Industrial park. Officers were called to the 800 block of East 21st street Friday afternoon. An employee found about 2000 feet of copper wiring on the ground outside of the building. He then discovered thieves had climbed onto the roof, and pulled copper out of the building's electrical systems. Police aren't sure why they left the copper behind. Anyone with information about the crime is encouraged to call 911.

A brick was all it took to break into a Wichita store.  It was all it took to steal jewelry and gifts from Sacred Heart Gift Shop.  But that brick and those thieves' actions weren't about to steal the owner's Christmas spirit. "I always have my Christmas spirit," says Sheri Ramirez.  Ramirez has been running the gift shop near downtown for years.  Thieves are not going to stop her.  "I've got a lot of good customers that support me and I'm here to stay," she says. Ramirez considers her customers, and their support, her blessings on this Christmas Eve.   After hearing about the vandalism and theft, they were there for her. "People are coming to buy," she says.  "I know it's the last day right before Christmas, I know everybody has their gifts by now. " The theft was frustrating.  Ramirez admits that as a small business owner she often struggles and that she works hard for what she has.  "For somebody to come and steal from me, it's very devastating.

Wichita police are investigating after two cases where thieves drilled through gas tanks to steal gas from cars. One happened in the 2900 block of S. Emporia.  A 73-year-old man says someone drilled a hole in the gas tank of his 2001 pickup. In another case, a 39-year-old man heard a noise outside in the area of 2100 E. Maywood.  He went out to figure out what was going on and saw two men drilling a hole in the gas tank of a car.  The two thieves were scared off, but they did manage to steal some gas.  The rest spilled out on the ground.

A Hutchinson business is offering a reward to find out who stole the air conditioning units from its building.  Bold Logistics & Office Shares hasn't even opened yet and it's already been a victim to theft twice. Thieves targeted the building for its air conditioners.  But the damage the thieves caused is much worse than the money they could make. "They did it really fast, had some sort of chainsaw. They did damage to our roof and obviously took the air conditioner," said Bart Kooiman with Bold.

Most people cannot pick up a car, but someone found a way to move a Cadillac. Then, they stole what was hiding underneath. Now a Hutchinson business is out thousands of dollars. Silas Manche goes to work with a mission. He pulls valuable parts out of cars before they are crushed and sent off. It takes a lot of manual labor to get the job done. "I've got so much sweat and blood invested in this place out here. Sometimes I feel like, why do I even put all this work into it, if somebody is going to steal it," said Silas.

Sedgwick County authorities are looking for whoever stole nearly $12,000 worth of property from a garage in Derby. It happened some time between 2:30 and 8:30 am last Saturday. The Sedgwick County Sheriff's Office says someone forced open an overhead garage door at a home near 5500 S. Northview Trail in Derby. The thieves got away with Craftsman tools, DeWalt power tools, a chainsaw, knives, pots & pans, a Canon Mark II camera, a Sony camcorder, a Taylor guitar worth $3,500, an iPod, an iPad and a computer.

Wichita police are investigating after two cases where thieves drilled through gas tanks to steal gas from cars. One happened in the 2900 block of S. Emporia.  A 73-year-old man says someone drilled a hole in the gas tank of his 2001 pickup. In another case, a 39-year-old man heard a noise outside in the area of 2100 E. Maywood.  He went out to figure out what was going on and saw two men drilling a hole in the gas tank of a car.  The two thieves were scared off, but they did manage to steal some gas.  The rest spilled out on the ground.

A Hutchinson business is offering a reward to find out who stole the air conditioning units from its building.  Bold Logistics & Office Shares hasn't even opened yet and it's already been a victim to theft twice. Thieves targeted the building for its air conditioners.  But the damage the thieves caused is much worse than the money they could make. "They did it really fast, had some sort of chainsaw. They did damage to our roof and obviously took the air conditioner," said Bart Kooiman with Bold.

Police in Park City are searching for a suspect accused of stealing a city utility truck. Authorities said the vehicle was taken during a break in at the city maintenance facility, 225 W. 61st North, overnight. Det. Dwight Wilkes, Park City Police department, said city water and sewer crews park their vehicles at the maintenance facility when not in use. The stolen truck is a 2002 Chevrolet utility truck. There is a large copper air compressor in the back of the truck. A clear light also sits on top of the cab. Anyone with information on the break in or the stolen truck is asked to call the Park City Police department at (316)

A Winfield man is offering a $5000 reward in the case of his stolen guns. Brian Perrigo says a team of thieves broke into his house last Tuesday and stole a "high number of guns" and ammunition. Among the weapons taken were shotguns, handguns, and four assault rifles. Perrigo says evidence left at the scene suggests at least four people were involved. They broke a sliding glass back door and ransacked his home. The collection is valued at tens of thousands of dollars. Perrigo says he wants the guns back, but he's more concerned about them being in the wrong hands.

Someone broke into a Westar energy substation and knocked out power in south Wichita---causing more than a $150,000 in damage. Westar officials say there have been more than 50 copper thefts at area sub-stations just this year. There were only 4 last year. Early Sunday morning, someone broke into a substation and stole copper from behind this fence---causing a fire and an explosion. 1500 customers were without power. Westar says these signs are there for a reason--they believe whoever did it is probably seriously hurt and may have lost hearing or eyesight.

More thefts from apartment complex mailboxes have residents changing the way they do things.  Eyewitness News has confirmed thieves have taken mail from mail-rooms in two different complexes on Wichita's northeast side, just down the road from each other.  Each attempt affected dozens, maybe hundreds, of residents. Residents at Eagle Rock Village are worried, not just about losing money but their identities as well.  They've had their mail boxes torn into twice in the last two weeks.  Now, less than a half mile down 37th Street, residents at The Remington apartments are facing the same concerns.

Update: Wichita police are still looking for suspects after someone broke into the mail room of a northeast Wichita apartment complex. It happened at Eaglerock Village, 7600 block of east 37th St N., Saturday night. A credit card that was stolen along with that mail was used to charge around $1,400 at a nearby Quik Trip and Wal Mart store. A warning about the mail thefts is posted by each apartment. "Frustrated, kind of disrespected," said Joe Compton.  He was the first to discover the problem after getting a call his emergency credit card was being used.  "$1,400-ish, on my credit card, in about two hours.

A Wichita non-profit group has been the target of recent vandalism acts. Senior Services said someone stole copper from an air conditioning unit sometime last week. A maintenance man noticed the gate surrounding the unit had been pried open. He found electrical wires had been cut and exposed. Nearby Westar electrical poles were also damaged. The organization said the stolen copper is worth about $60 dollars, but it will cost up to $80,000 to replace the units. In a second incident, the non-profit said someone took down signs directing people to Saturday's St. Patrick's Day Parade breakfast.