Authorities urge public to use caution
Morgan Hill – “Ho ho ho” can quickly turn into “Bah, humbug” when criminals take advantage of the holiday season to help themselves to other people’s goodies.
The Morgan Hill Police Department and the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office warn residents to use caution and common sense when doing holiday shopping.
MHPD officers will be circulating in shopping center parking lots, on the lookout for would-be thieves. The best defense for residents, said Morgan Hill police Sgt. David Swing, is to remember not to leave valuables in vehicles.
“If you do, lock them in the trunk so they are not visible to anyone looking in vehicles,” he said. “Most of the time, these kinds of crimes are crimes of opportunity.”
This time of year, many people are more-than-usually busy and may become careless, but officers caution that shoppers need to be more vigilant, not less.
“Leaving a purse in your car, an iPod or a cell phone on a seat, may be all the invitation a thief needs to break in,” Swing said.
Last week, officers arrested a Morgan Hill man in another kind of “crime of opportunity.”
A Llagas Vista Drive resident reported a man attempted to steal packages from his porch on Dec. 12 at approximately 3:15pm.
According to Swing, the resident scared off the suspect, later found to be Garrett Bossio, 18. Bossio returned to the area to retrieve other packages he had allegedly hidden.
Officers located Bossio and took him into custody, Swing said, because the resident gave officers a detailed description of him and his vehicle. Police officers found other items in his vehicle believed to have been stolen from porches.
Swing said if anyone in Morgan Hill was expecting any of the following items to be delivered and has not received it, please contact MHPD at (408) 779-2101: two pairs of size 9 women’s Bass shoes, a pair of Sennheiser RS140 wireless headphones, a Vivitar DVR-510 digital camera and a Microsoft Zune MP3 player with software.
Bossio was booked into Santa Clara County Jail for alleged possession of stolen property.
The MHPD and Sheriff’s Office also want to remind Morgan Hill residents about the increase in auto theft this time of the year.
With cold morning temperatures, people often leave their vehicles running to warm up in the driveway or on the street before leaving for work, and when they come out of their home, their vehicle is gone. Sometimes people leave their keys in the vehicle, even if it’s not running, to drop off or pick up children, to run an errand and a criminal takes advantage of the situation.
Marilyn Dubil covers education and law enforcement for The Times. Reach her at (408) 779-4106 ext. 202 or at md****@*************es.com.
