Thieves pick on families at YMCA

A handful of thefts from vehicles at the Brainerd Family YMCA parking lot appear to be linked to a larger crime spree in central Minnesota and the Twin Cities, the Brainerd Police Department indicated Wednesday.

Within the last week, the police department has received a handful of reports of windows being broken on vehicle and items such as purses, gym bags and wallets taken from vehicles parked at the YMCA.

Deb Eberts of Brainerd was one victim. She had stopped to pick her children up from the YMCA day care and stuffed her purse under her seat. In the five minutes she was away from her car, the thieves broke her car window and stole her purse.

"They were watching," Eberts said. "They were waiting for women to get out of their vehicles without their purses.

"Unfortunately, it's one of those things that if I'd seen or known someone was targeting me I never would have left my purse in the car. It's one of those things where you learn the lesson to never leave anything in your car no matter how long you are going to be gone."

Within 20 minutes, the thieves had used her credit card at a grocery store and jewelry store, giving Eberts a lesson on identity theft.

"Honestly, that old adage of don't leave valuables in the car, I didn't think would play out in that situation," Eberts said. "Never in wildest imagination would I have thought that would ever happen at that location."

Brainerd Police Chief John Bolduc said police have video of the suspects and he's confident they will be identified and arrested. He said in comparing notes from other agencies in the metro and other central Minnesota communities it appears the crimes are related.

Bolduc reiterated the lesson learned by Eberts - don't leave valuables in a vehicle, but if you must put them in the trunk.

"Don't get complacent," Bolduc said. "Keeping valuables in your vehicle leaves a crime of opportunity wide open."

MATT ERICKSON may be reached at matt.erickson@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5857.