String of car break-ins hits several HHI, Bluffton neighborhoods; multiple firearms stolen

Residents and vacationers in the Hilton Head Island area reported at least 17 car break-ins and stolen vehicles in the first 11 days of August, with several locations seeing multiple thefts in the same time frame.

Beaufort County police investigate such break-ins year-round , although reports rise during the summer months when the area is more crowded and juveniles have more time on their hands due to breaks from school. In most cases, the victims of theft tell police they left their vehicles unlocked, although perpetrators are also known to smash car windows to nab purses and wallets.

Break-ins appeared to be concentrated at three locations: Hilton Head’s Island Links Resort by Palmera, the Emerson Isles apartments in eastern Bluffton and the nearby Wellstone community. The most commonly stolen items were handguns, wallets, purses and cash — but hiding your valuables in your glove box isn’t always enough to prevent theft, police say.

Here is a sampling of reports received in the first 11 days of August.

Hilton Head

• Aug. 2: $600 bike reported missing from the North Shore Place parking garage
• Aug. 5: Glock handgun and $60 stolen from vacationer’s car on Dune Lane in the Shipyard area of Hilton Head
• Aug. 8: Glock handgun and holster taken from truck parked at Island Links Resort; thieves left passenger door was “slightly ajar” and glove box open
• Aug. 8: .40 cal Smith and Wesson handgun, holster and $10 in cash stolen from unlocked vehicle at Island Links Resort
• Aug. 8: Two decals required for entry into local gated communities (Hilton Head Plantation and Wexford Plantation) were “scraped off” of commercial vehicle; neighborhoods were notified “should someone attempt to gain access using them in the future”
• Aug. 9: Thief used a Jeep’s fabric rear window to enter the car parked at a rental near Islanders Beach Park; stole two pairs of sunglasses

Bluffton/Okatie

• Aug. 10: SUV’s window smashed overnight at Emerson Isles apartments in Bluffton; missing purse was later found in the nearby woods near a lagoon and swabbed for DNA evidence
• Aug. 10: Jeep’s window smashed overnight at Emerson Isles; black Coach wallet reported stolen
• Aug. 10: 9mm handgun taken from unlocked vehicle in Oldfield community
• Aug. 11: After hearing of “multiple car break-ins” from her landlord, Emerson Isles resident discovered wallet and $100 cash had been taken from her glove box

• Aug. 11: Moped containing wallet stolen from parking lot of Okatie Hilton Head Hotel

Bluffton police also saw a large number of similar thefts — most notably in the Wellstone at Bluffton community, where two break-ins and two stolen vehicles were reported Aug. 9 and Aug. 10, all within two blocks of each other.

• Aug. 4: Vehicle break-in on Jason Street
• Aug. 4: Stolen vehicle on Estate Drive
• Aug. 9: Stolen vehicle on Marianna Way
• Aug. 9: Stolen vehicle on Fernbank Avenue (Wellstone at Bluffton)
• Aug. 10: Vehicle break-in on Fernbank Avenue (Wellstone at Bluffton)
• Aug. 10: Vehicle break-in on Plumgrass Way (Wellstone at Bluffton)
• Aug. 10: Stolen vehicle on Plumgrass Street (Wellstone at Bluffton)

How to stay safe

Tracking or predicting this type of theft can be difficult because it is primarily a “crime of opportunity,” said Master Sgt. Danny. Allen, a spokesperson for the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office. In most cases, perpetrators target neighborhoods and tourist-heavy areas, tugging on car doors ad nauseam in search of unlocked vehicles. By the time police respond, the thieves have usually moved on to a different area.

Allen advised residents to always lock their car doors and to store valuables in a glove box or center console — or remove those items from the vehicle entirely while leaving it parked for long periods. Those living in private communities should not develop a “false sense of security,” he said, as criminals can easily bypass the gates on foot. They might even live in the neighborhood themselves.

Car robberies are rarely caught on camera, the sergeant added. If possible, he urged locals to buy surveillance systems for their homes, pointing at least one camera where vehicles are parked and left overnight.