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Stolen-car reports increase beyond area's usual few By SARAH LEMON Mail Tribune When Rhonda Villalobos' sons woke up early to see a man getting into the family's 1985 Chevrolet Blazer two days after Thanksgiving, they thought he was their father. But the man was a thief who took the car from the driveway of their Serenity Drive home around 2:30 a.m. "We were dumb enough, I guess, to leave it unlocked," Villalobos said. Living in a quiet neighborhood of retired teachers and police officers, Villalobos said she and her husband just never got into the habit of locking the car. Two days after the Villaloboses' vehicle was stolen, police found it on John's Peak stripped of many parts, including the tires. The vehicle's starter was damaged, so the thief apparently started the Blazer by jamming a screwdriver into the ignition. The Villaloboses' car is one of 44 reported stolen in the past six weeks - a sharp spike, police say, but one that could be prevented. In most car theft cases, thieves didn't have to tamper with the vehicles' ignitions. The owners left their keys in the cars. "I don't think our town was ever really small enough that you could leave your keys in the car," said Medford police Lt. Mike Moran. Medford police took 26 stolen vehicle reports between Nov. 1 and Dec. 11. Twenty have since been recovered. Another was reported stolen from the 1900 block of Pepper Street Friday. Moran said the numbers are "way out of the norm" for Medford. Police aren't sure why there's been a surge in car thefts, but there does appear to be a pattern. Most cars are being taken from the west Medford area and later recovered near White City and in Hoover Ponds south of Highway 140, Moran said. Most are not stripped, just missing a of couple of parts, he said. No particular type of vehicle has been targeted, mainly just those with keys in the ignitions. Motor vehicle theft also is up countywide, said Sheriff's Sgt. Terry Larson. The Jackson County Sheriff's Department was investigating eight stolen-car reports between Nov. 11 and Dec. 1. Half were recovered. A Butte Falls resident reported a vehicle stolen Friday night. Ashland, Central Point and Phoenix police departments also have taken reports of stolen vehicles in November and December. Statewide, motor vehicle theft increased by more than 3 percent in 2000. Officers pulling over drivers for traffic violations have recovered some of the vehicles in Medford, Moran said. Nearly 15 cars county-wide, however, remain unaccounted for. No additional patrols have been added in the trouble areas, Moran said, but officers are aware of the problem. Detectives may have some theft suspects in mind, he added. Police said they can't offer much advice on how to prevent car thefts except to remind drivers to lock their vehicles and take the keys. "Medford has just never been a stolen-car mecca," said Moran, adding that in 24 years with the Police Department, he's never seen so many reports of stolen cars in such a short time. The Villaloboses lost more than just their car. A lift used to transport their children's BMX bicycles and their 9-year-old son's wheelchair was attached to the Blazer's trailer hitch. The lift was worth $400, and the family had paid off the Blazer just two months before it was stolen, Rhonda Villalobos said. "People say it's just a car, but it's not just a car," she said. "It's part of our family."Anyone with information on a vehicle that was reported stolen is asked to contact Medford police Detective Bill Ford at 774-2236 or the Jackson County Sheriff's Department at 774-6800. Reach reporter Sarah Lemon at 776-4487, or e-mail [email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.