At Least Six Visiting Fishermen Burglarized

Six vehicles belonging to fishermen in town for a tournament at Fayette Lake were burglarized early Saturday morning, Jan. 9. The only items taken were a pistol and a cell phone.

According to a report from La Grange Police Chief David Gilbreath, first break-in was discovered around 1:44 a.m. Saturday morning. The first call came in from La Grange Hampton Inn, located at 1624 W. SH 71 Business.

Four vehicles parked at the Hampton Inn were burglarized:

• a 2020 Ford pickup; the driver side rear door window was knocked out; the inside was ransacked and nothing was taken;

• a 2019 Chevy pickup, right rear passenger door window knocked out; inside was ran-sacked; nothing was taken but several valuables were left behind including a fish finder and laptops;

• a 2018 Toyota Tacoma, driver side rear door window knocked out; a backpack was missing but later recovered on the hotel property;

• a 2017 Ford Explorer, passenger side rear window knocked out; nothing was taken.

Around 5:50 a.m., a person staying at the Best Western Hotel next door reported another vehicle burglary. It was a 2016 Toyota Tacoma. The owner reported parking it around 9 p.m. on Friday. The rear passenger door window was knocked out. The only thing missing was an Apple iPhone.

Officers discovered another vehicle burglary at the Best Western, a 2020 Ford F-250 with the rear passenger door window broken out. Taken was a .40 caliber Springfield XD pistol.

Chief Gilbreath wishes to remind the public to always remove valuables from their vehicle before leaving it unattended for any amount of time. Firearms should never be left in an unattended vehicle, Gilbreath said.

Gilbreath said investigators are working diligently to collect evidence. Gilbreath said he thinks whomever was responsible may be from the local area. He said the thief or thieves appeared to have been after guns. He said many valuable items such as fishing gear and expensive coolers were left behind.

The damage to the six vehicles will likely cost much more to repair than the two items that were taken. Gilbreath said one of the vehicle owners estimated the window would cost $300 to replace.

If anyone saw suspicious activity around the two hotels Friday night or Saturday morning, please report it to police by calling (979) 968-5806.

Gilbreath said he did not think the break-ins on Saturday were connected to the vehicle burglaries in the Lynnwood neighborhood last week. The Lynnwood burglaries, he said, shared some similarities to a string of vehicle break-ins that happened in Hutto recently. Gilbreath said he was working with Hutto Police to identify those suspects.