String of 17 Car Break-ins Off St. James Avenue

Two neighborhoods off of St. James Avenue saw a string of vehicle break-ins early Monday.

Nine cars were rifled through in Stratford Forest. Eight cars were broken into in the Persimmon Hill subdivision.

Several of the cases involved cars left unlocked Sunday night and found the next morning with doors ajar, glove boxes rifled through and, in a few cases, items missing.

Officers were called out to Knottingham Drive in Stratford Forest just before 6 a.m. Monday when a resident was leaving for work and found that his car door was ajar. He looked inside and found that the glove box had been opened and papers were scattered throughout the car. The glove boxes in his other three cars had also been gone through, according to police.

Officers went next door to find that two more cars also had been burglarized, with a Canon digital camera, a cell phone charger and a Garmin GPS stolen. 

A third neighbor reported that his cars were burglarized and his perscription sunglasses were missing. A fourth victim on Queensbury Circle also reported that his car had been opened and searched by an unknown suspect, but that nothing had been taken.

At the same time, officers were working a similar scene along Davenport Street, Brockman Way and Taylor Circle in Persimmon Hill. Stolen items included a silver "Boeing" bracelet, a wool cap and four pairs of sunglasses.

North Charleston recently posted an electronic roadside sign in the Greendridge Road area not far from Goose Creek, warning car owners of an increase in vehicle break-ins and encouraging them to remove valuables and lock their cars.