String of break-ins and thefts continue

Petaluma police received a rash of reported property crimes over the weekend, including three commercial break-ins, two stolen vehicles and one attempted stolen vehicle.

The continued uptick in property crimes has caused investigators to ask the public to report any suspicious activities they see.

"Trust your instincts and if you see something odd, call us," said property crimes Detective Paul Gilman. "Make sure your houses and cars are locked. If you see someone who doesn't belong in the area, let us know. If they turn out to be a PG&E (Pacific Gas & Electric) service man, then great, but the only way we are going to catch these guys is for the public to call us and let us know when things aren't right."

The call for public reporting comes on the tail of a string of commercial break-ins that began in Petaluma last summer. Most break-ins consisted of burglars gaining access to a business by kicking in a window or front door to businesses and ransacking them for any available cash or merchandise on hand.

This weekend's crimes were similar. On Friday morning police received a report of a burglary in the 1300 block of Ross Street. According to Petaluma Police Lt. Tim Lyons, an unknown suspect gained access to the business and stole computer equipment. The break-in occurred sometime between Wednesday evening and Friday morning.

Early Saturday morning police responded to a call from Pacific Medical Supply on the 600 block of Petaluma Boulevard North. According to officers, the front door was broken into and medical supplies were stolen.

Then, police received a break-in report Sunday morning from Teriyaki House in the 700 block of East Washington Street. Once again, the front door was broken in and Lyons said the business is still calculating its losses.

As if the commercial break-ins weren't enough to keep Petaluma Police busy, several vehicle thefts and attempted thefts were reported over the weekend. Early Friday morning a flatbed trailer was stolen from the Target development on East Washington Street. Police said the theft occurred sometime early Friday morning. The trailer has no license plate.

On Saturday, in the 1100 block of Baywood Drive, police said an unknown suspect stole a 2011 grey Toyota Camry parked in front of the main entrance to an apartment complex. The license plate is 6RZP741.

Then, at around 11:15 a.m. Sunday morning, in the 1800 block of Caulfield Lane, police said an unknown suspect attempted to steal a 1999 white Toyota Camry. Upon arrival, officers found a broken key in the ignition of the vehicle, which was parked in front of the victim's residence.

Finally, on Sunday morning in the 1900 block of Rogers Lane, a 2008 white Chrysler Town & Country SUV was reported stolen from the victim's residence. Officers said the victim accidently left their garage door open all night with the keys in the vehicle. The victim awoke to find the car stolen. The license plate is 22SAIL.

Petaluma police are asking anyone with information on any of these crimes to call the Petaluma Police Department's property crimes unit at 778-4334.

(Contact Janelle Wetzstein at janelle.wetzstein@arguscourier.com.)