MADISONVILLE, KY (WFIE) -
Police in Madisonville are concerned about the increase in vehicle thefts and break ins in just the last week.
Police say recently these crimes are pretty widespread, and they're encouraging residents to take extra caution.
Judy Browning is a resident of Madisonville and says just last week, her house was broken into. She says hearing about a recent trend in vehicle thefts isn't too comforting.
"One day, we all was gone and come back and my door had been pried open and busted. So yeah, it's a lot of concern," Browning said.
Lt. Robert Carter with the Madisonville Police Department says some cars are broken into and some are even stolen, but most often these crimes can be prevented.
"Make sure that you secure your vehicles, make sure that you remove your valuables from plain sight, understanding again if it's valuable to you it will be valuable to someone else," Carter said.
Some neighborhoods and areas already affected are near Wells Avenue, east Center Street, and the Hidden Hills Apartments.
"An individual actually got out of the vehicle, left the vehicle running, running for an extended period of time, came back out, someone had hopped in the vehicle," Carter told 14 News.
Police say this type of activity happened a few years ago when a few juveniles were caught breaking into cars. Carter says it may seem harmless at the time, but the penalty can be severe.
"There's so many different variables that you place in there, from misdemeanors to felony."
As for Judy Browning, says she's going to keep a closer eye on things, but also has plans to make sure no one comes on her property uninvited.
"I am having a security system hooked up in my home so I know if anyone comes through my door, they're going to get caught by the police."
If you have any information on these vehicle break-ins and thefts, just contact the Madisonville Police Department.
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Some neighborhoods and areas already affected are near Wells Avenue, east Center Street, and the Hidden Hills Apartments.
