SHATTERED GLASS FILLED THE CAR.

George Collins knows what it’s like to have his car broken into and has learned his lesson through the years.

“We’ve had our car broken into, it seems, every four or five years,” he says. “I don’t leave anything in my car anymore.”

Taking those precautions certainly prevented a crime from being worse recently. Asleep in his Inwood Estates home, Collins was startled out of bed just before 1

The Victim: Maxine Cutler

The Crime: Theft

Date: Monday, Oct. 31

Time: Between 10:30 p.m. and 7 a.m. Location: 7100 block of Round Rock a.m. by the sound of his car alarm. The car was parked in the driveway, and not knowing what to expect, he raced into his garage and banged on the door. He then went out to investigate and the thief had gone.

While the passenger-side window was smashed, there was not much in the vehicle to actually steal. The thief’s haul? Two small LED flashlights. But for taking such a risk, this thief was anything but bright.

Dallas Police Lt. Richard Dwyer of the North Central Patrol Division says it’s unfortunate that Collins’s car was broken into, but pleased he took precautions to prevent major theft.

“One of the best things he did was not to leave anything valuable laying out in plain view. The motto ‘lock-take-hide’ is something that all people should keep in mind when securing their vehicle. In addition, it is helpful to be aware of any crime trends in the neighborhood.” Dwyer recommends residents use dallaspolice.net’s crime information section to find out about any types of crime occurring in the neighborhood. Crime updates also are regularly reported on prestonhollow.advocatemag.com.

CRIME NUMBERS |

$25

Amount of cash stolen when someone grabbed the tip jar from the Starbucks at Preston and Northwest Highway and fled the scene

7:40am 7900

Time of night Aug. 2 when a security guard was assaulted while patrolling the Spanish Point apartments in the 4100 block of Harvest Hill; he chased down and arrested the suspects

Block of Forest Lane near Medical City where a woman reported that an unknown suspect pointed a handgun at her while she was pumping gas at Racetrac; she left the location and called 911

SOURCE: Dallas Police Department

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