Cars stolen from Mt. Hood Community College lots

This past summer, three cars were stolen from MHCC parking lots while students attended class. Prowlers also were able to look into cars for valuables they would take for themselves.

In August, an informant called the Gresham Police Department (GPD) and tipped it off to a potential suspect. The suspect was then questioned for being in the area (while not enrolled in school) and seemed to be driving a car that fit the description of a vehicle stolen from one of the Mt. Hood lots.

“Since the police talked to the suspect, we haven’t had anymore thefts of vehicles. It makes it look kind of suspicious,” said Wayne Feagle, MHCC Public Safety manager.

Feagle believes that speaking to the suspect could have stopped additional incidents from happening. “We had three in a row and think that may have – just talking to him, may have prevented him from [continuing to steal cars],” he said.

The suspect wasn’t arrested, since authorities didn’t have enough information to press charges against him.

The MHCC crime log doesn’t describe what model of vehicles were stolen, but it wasn’t the usual “chop shop” cars.

“It wasn’t normal – we usually get Hondas stolen,” said Feagle. “It was the odd cars, like he tried to steal a pickup truck (and failed) and then went to another one. This was more like he just wanted a ride.”

The crime log reports that two of the vehicles stolen were recovered and returned to their owners. Since GPD doesn’t always update Public Safety on developments, Feagle didn’t know of the third car’s outcome.

He advises MHCC drivers to not leave shopping bags, electronics or anything of value in their vehicle, especially in plain sight. “Keep everything like it was showroom new,” he said.

He recalled past instances when people would leave their shopping bags with trash in them and thieves would think that they had something of value inside the bags – and then the car windows would be smashed for a bag of trash.

Even if purses were hidden in or under a seat, thieves would still find it and know it was there somehow, Feagle said. It seems to be so common [a habit], that thieves would still bust a window and attempt to find something to steal.

“They’re not busting anyone whose cars are clean,” he said.