Thieves

Monday a person, who asked not to be identified, called The Interior Journal saying that items were being stolen from a local cemetery. “I don't want to point fingers. I just want whoever's doing this to stop.” Located off of Greenbrier Road in Waynesburg, is Gooch Cemetery; a small family cemetery that has been the target of thieves. Items removed from the graves include flowers and, more recently, a “heavy, large metal cross” that had been embedded into the ground, leading the person to believe that whoever took the cross had to apply a reasonable amount of effort.

Police are searching for the suspects in a rash of vehicle break-ins that happened overnight Sunday in a Danville subdivision and say the crimes serve as a reminder for people to be careful what they leave in their cars. According to Danville Police Chief Jay Newell, there were at least five vehicles broken into after dark on Sunday and early Monday morning in Bluegrass Estates. Two of the vehicles had their windows smashed in with bricks, while the others were left unlocked. The thieves made off with cell phones, purses and wallets, but Newell said many of the items were later found and returned to the owners.

A pair from Paris are facing felony charges after allegedly stealing an air conditioning unit from a vacant house. Neighbors reported seeing suspicious people at 309 W. Hickman St. Tuesday morning removing an outside unit, Winchester Police Capt. Harvey Craycraft said. When he arrived at the scene, he saw the people closing the tailgate on their black pickup truck with the AC unit inside. Officers also found a dolly and cutting tools. “They came prepared,” Craycraft said.

Margaret and Chuck White haven't been sleeping well. Their house on Gallant Fox Drive was burglarized recently and guns, knives and items of sentimental value stolen. “It feels like ... it's a violation. That's what it is, a violation,” Chuck White said. “And it could have been worse.” Sometime between when their daughter left the house New Year's Eve and when White and his wife returned home from an evangelistic trip Jan. 2, thieves broke into their Danville home and took more than material possessions.

STANFORD - The Lincoln County Sheriff's office is searching for suspects who allegedly broke into the Lincoln County Stockyards Nov. 5 and stole seven cattle. Sheriff Curt Folger said the alleged thieves gained access to the stockyards by cutting a chain on the front gate. Then, they probably used a trailer to remove four cows and three steers from the business. "I would say that they probably loaded up the trailer with all it could hold," Folger said. The seven cattle - four holsteins, one jersey steer, one red steer and one black-and-white-faced steer - are valued at around $5,000.

Thieves stole thousands of dollars worth of wheels from SUVs and a truck parked at Mike Wilson Chevrolet sometime overnight Sunday. According to Winchester Police Capt. James Hall, the thieves broke into the vehicles and removed the wheel locks from inside before jacking up the vehicles and removing the wheels sometime late Sunday night or early Monday morning. The thieves took 20 and-22-inch polished aluminum wheels, valued at around $12,000 per set, from seven new full-sized SUVs and one pick-up truck parked on the back corner of the lot, then left the vehicles sitting on concrete blocks which had been stolen from the Hampton Inn nearby.

Bethany Nowlin, one of the owners of the homes burglarized Saturday morning in Danville, was appalled at the brazen attitude of the thieves. “They had no fear that they were going to get caught or they wouldn’t have been so picky about the stuff they took,” said Nowlin, who came to The Advocate-Messenger Monday afternoon with a long list of items taken from her home. “They went through my husband’s shirts one by one and took what they liked.” Nowlin, who has lived at 124 Betsy Ross Lane since January of 2008, has the house for sale and already had moved most of the big furniture and electronics to her family’s new home out of state.

Dear Editor, For the last three or four years thieves have been stealing trailers of every description and size. Watching and reading about these thefts in The Advocate-Messenger, they have been stolen in Boyle, Mercer, Garrard and Lincoln counties. How do we catch a thief like this, in the dead of the night? Who can we blame? No one but the thieves who are too sorry to work and make themselves an honest living. I've always heard that crime doesn't pay. I hope these trailer thieves are caught and sent down the road for several years.

JUNCTION CITY - Thieves with a knowledge of airplanes hit Stuart Powell Field earlier this week, taking radios and transponders from five planes. "It's not far-fetched that someone flew in, took them and flew out" said Boyle County Deputy Jim Wilcher. "We had something like this happen back in the '90s. " Stuart Powell, chairman of the Danville-Boyle County Airport Board, said similar thefts have occurred at other general aviation facilities around the country recently. The thieves take advantage of smaller airports which do not always have someone on duty around the clock, especially during winter months when flying activity slows down, Powell said.

STANFORD - Lincoln County Sheriff's Office is searching for suspects who allegedly broke into the Lincoln County Stockyards on Nov. 5 and stole seven head of cattle. Sheriff Curt Folger said the alleged thieves gained access to the stockyards by cutting a chain on the front gate. Then, they probably used a trailer to remove four cows and three steers from the business. “I would say that they probably loaded up the trailer with all it could hold,” Folger said. The seven cattle - four Holsteins, one Jersey steer, one red steer and one black-and-white-faced steer - are valued at about $5,000.

STANFORD - The Lincoln County Sheriff's office is searching for suspects who allegedly broke into the Lincoln County Stockyards Nov. 5 and stole seven cattle. Sheriff Curt Folger said the alleged thieves gained access to the stockyards by cutting a chain on the front gate. Then, they probably used a trailer to remove four cows and three steers from the business. "I would say that they probably loaded up the trailer with all it could hold," Folger said. The seven cattle - four holsteins, one jersey steer, one red steer and one black-and-white-faced steer - are valued at around $5,000.

Editor's note: This is the first of a three-week series looking at crime in Nicholasville. Next week, The Journal will focus on the drug problem. Most crime statistics in Nicholasville haven't changed a lot in recent years due to education and enforcement, but burglaries are on the rise - with burglars targeting buildings and vehicles. The number of burglaries reported to Nicholasville police has jumped 71 percent from 2006 to 2011, and vehicles break-ins are the most common crime reported in the city.

Protecting personal information against the risk of online identity theft is becoming a bigger issue than ever, especially with the growing popularity of social media sites. Consumers have to look over their shoulders more when it comes to protecting their personal information. In 2011, there were almost 2,000 identity theft complaints made in Kentucky, and more than 8 million Americans were victims of identity theft in 2010, according to LifeLock, a company that specializes in identity theft protection.

Monday a person, who asked not to be identified, called The Interior Journal saying that items were being stolen from a local cemetery. “I don't want to point fingers. I just want whoever's doing this to stop.” Located off of Greenbrier Road in Waynesburg, is Gooch Cemetery; a small family cemetery that has been the target of thieves. Items removed from the graves include flowers and, more recently, a “heavy, large metal cross” that had been embedded into the ground, leading the person to believe that whoever took the cross had to apply a reasonable amount of effort.

Margaret and Chuck White haven't been sleeping well. Their house on Gallant Fox Drive was burglarized recently and guns, knives and items of sentimental value stolen. “It feels like ... it's a violation. That's what it is, a violation,” Chuck White said. “And it could have been worse.” Sometime between when their daughter left the house New Year's Eve and when White and his wife returned home from an evangelistic trip Jan. 2, thieves broke into their Danville home and took more than material possessions.

Authorities are investigating a rash of utility trailer thefts in Danville and other parts of Boyle County that started last month. Assistant Police Chief Tony Gray said trailers began disappearing Oct. 15 in Danville. Since then, there have been seven reports of stolen trailers ranging in size from an 8-foot, single-axle to a 16-foot dual-axle trailer. The most recent theft happened Tuesday at a residence on Hightower Road. Trailers also have been taken from businesses and homes on Dillehay Street, Roy Arnold Boulevard, Stanford Road, two locations on Baughman Avenue and Shoney's restaurant on the Danville bypass.

Thieves stole thousands of dollars worth of wheels from SUVs and a truck parked at Mike Wilson Chevrolet sometime overnight Sunday. According to Winchester Police Capt. James Hall, the thieves broke into the vehicles and removed the wheel locks from inside before jacking up the vehicles and removing the wheels sometime late Sunday night or early Monday morning. The thieves took 20 and-22-inch polished aluminum wheels, valued at around $12,000 per set, from seven new full-sized SUVs and one pick-up truck parked on the back corner of the lot, then left the vehicles sitting on concrete blocks which had been stolen from the Hampton Inn nearby.

A pair from Paris are facing felony charges after allegedly stealing an air conditioning unit from a vacant house. Neighbors reported seeing suspicious people at 309 W. Hickman St. Tuesday morning removing an outside unit, Winchester Police Capt. Harvey Craycraft said. When he arrived at the scene, he saw the people closing the tailgate on their black pickup truck with the AC unit inside. Officers also found a dolly and cutting tools. “They came prepared,” Craycraft said.

The Jessamine County S.A.V.E. Center, located at 410 Park Drive, has been burglarized for the second time in three months as thieves broke into the facility through the front door Monday night or Tuesday morning. “They only took our good laptop, our banking stuff and our cash box, but there wasn’t any money in it,” SAVE director Jenise Smith said. The bank-related items included a check book, receipts and other items. The break-in occurred during the overnight hours, according to Smith.