Suspected Car Prowlers Caught On Lakeview Hospital Security Video

Stillwater Police have video of car prowlers who were tampering with vehicles May 4 in the Lakeview neighborhood.

Theft from, and tampering with, unlocked vehicles "has been an ongoing problem for the last year," said Linda Thompson, dispatcher for the Stillwater Police Department.

According to the police report:

Police were called to Lakeview Hospital, 927 Churchill St., for a report of people who were trying to open the doors of the vehicles. A bowling ball was taken from one vehicle; however, they "ditched it" near the parking ramp and left the scene, according to police.

A closer look at surveillance video showed two men described as "heavier-set adults" enter the ramp from Everett Street and proceeded to go from vehicle to vehicle, checking if the doors were locked.

The men "did in fact go inside several of the vehicles and one was observed taking the bowling ball from the vehicle," the report states. It is unknown if other items were taken from unlocked vehicles.

The bowling ball was returned to the owner.

The case remains under investigation.

During the City Council meeting Tuesday night, Police Chief John Gannaway told the council police caught three different groups of car prowlers last year, but theft from unlocked vehicles is still an issue.

"People have to lock their vehicles," the chief said during the meeting. "People are inviting these thefts. It's not 1963 in Stillwater anymore."

If residents see suspicious behavior, or have been victims of theft, police want to know about it, Gannaway said. When property is recovered by police, the only way it can be returned to the rightful owner is if it has been reported as stolen.