Two more vehicles were stolen in Hailey last weekend, bringing to five the number of automobiles apparently taken for joy rides within the past few weeks.
"Again, vehicles unlocked, keys in the vehicles," Hailey Police Chief Jeff Gunter said Monday.
Patrol Officer Garth Davis said a 1993 blue Subaru Outback was stolen from Robin Hood Drive in west Hailey sometime Saturday night and found Sunday in the Woodside area of southeast Hailey. The vehicle was intact but stereo equipment was missing.
Also stolen Saturday night was a 2002 gray Chevrolet Tahoe from the Balmoral apartments in the Woodside area. It had not yet been found.
Gunter said four of the five vehicles stolen recently have been recovered and most were found in the Woodside area. An exception was a Senior Connection van that was stolen Monday, Nov. 17, and found the following day, stuck and with undercarriage and frame damage, in Colorado Gulch west of Hailey.
"All five of these vehicles have had the keys left in the vehicle," the police chief said.
Gunter said police believe the vehicles are being taken by the same culprits.
"I think these are all tied together—it's the same MO," the police chief said. "It could be a contest—it could be a number of things."
Police once again advised drivers to take the keys from their vehicles and lock the doors.
"They still think we live in a nice area and that doesn't happen here," Davis said. "They think it just happens in big cities."
