BELLEAIR BEACH – The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office is investigating nearly a dozen overnight car burglaries in Belleair Beach on June 1.
In most cases, the cars, all of which had been left unlocked by their owners, were ransacked with mostly loose change taken, according to PCSO spokeswoman Cecelia Barreda. One electronic device was stolen, but later recovered, she said.
There have been no arrests.
Barreda reminds citizens to always lock their vehicles, as car burglaries are often crimes of opportunity, sometimes perpetrated by youth during the summer months.
“Seventy-plus percent of all vehicles burglarized were left unlocked,” Barreda said. “Lock it up, it’s the best form of prevention.”
