Cherokee County resident Annette Castaldo has always felt all right with leaving her car doors unlocked.
But when she saw her car door ajar Sunday morning, she had a bad feeling.
“I left my car door unlocked and I never really thought about it,” she told Channel 2 Action News, “because we've never had any problems here.”
She wasn’t alone. Police say they are now looking for up to four men in connection with a slew of car break-ins early Sunday in the county.
Canton police said 25 entering-auto reports were documented between the Summer Walk and Park Village neighborhoods.
Surveillance video from homeowners shows four men in their late teens to early 20s walking through the communities from 1:30 to 5 a.m., “pulling on vehicle door handles and entering cars they found unlocked,” police said.
The men didn't damage the vehicles, police said. They just checked doors to see which ones were left open.
“If they lock their vehicles, it helps eliminate one of those opportunities for crime to occur,” Pacer Cordry of Canton police told Channel 2 Action News.
Police said the thieves got away with money, guns and some other items.
Marty Castaldo, Annette’s husband, is the president of the homeowners association for their subdivision. He said seven officers live in the neighborhood and they have regular patrols. That's why the thefts were so unexpected.
“It's a shock,” he said. “You always feel violated when something like that happens.”
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