Burglaries costing county thousands

Local law enforcement officials are increasingly concerned about a recent wave of burglaries in remote areas of Colusa County.

Agricultural and isolated machine shops have been the most frequent targets of thieves since May, sheriff's Lt. Shane Maxey said.

"We've had all kinds of equipment targeted, from generators and tractors to ATV and tools," Maxey said.

Most recently, the Ambac Equipment Company just outside Colusa was burglarized sometime Sunday, Maxey said.

Unknown thieves reportedly made off with an all-terrain vehicle, but a complete list of missing or damaged property was stilling being compiled by the store owners Monday.

For now, at least, thieves seem to be targeting remote areas almost exclusively.

Colusa police Lt. Ross Stark said there has been no corresponding spike of burglaries or property crimes within the city limits.

Williams has also been quiet as far as burglaries are concerned, reporting just 11 over the last year. However, vandalism cases have jumped significantly, police said.

"Vandalism is probably our biggest problem right now," Sgt. Steve Woldanski said.

Woldanski said there has also been a small spike in reported vehicle thefts, with police working four cases since early June.

However, rural areas of Colusa County are getting pounded in recent weeks.

Maxey said investigators received four burglary reports in May, but that jumped to 14 reports in June.

Exact numbers for July were not available, but detectives have received numerous complaints.

Total estimated property losses for both months was placed just under $136,000, authorities said.

Detectives have recovered about $8,000 over the same time period and made one arrest, but it has not seemed to slow the rapidly swelling tide of property attacks.

Colusa County is not alone either.

Glenn County has been under siege since around March as wave after wave of burglaries in remote northern areas of the county have continued to pound law enforcement. Glenn County deputies have reported more than $300,000 in property losses since the first of the year, which is more than three times the amount reported over the same period last year.

While saying it is "certainly possibly" that both recent crime waves are related, Maxey said there is currently no evidence linking them.

"I think the economy has a lot to do with it," Maxey said. "A lot of people are trying to get by and doing a lot of things they wouldn't normally do."

Particularly troubling for authorities is the fact that many of the recent burglaries are occurring during the day.

"That's unusual," Maxey said.

Maxey said the daylight thefts may get by unnoticed for several hours because it is not unusual to see just one or two people milling around farm equipment in the afternoon.

"But, if it was around 3 a.m., well, that looks abnormal," Maxey said.

Maxey encouraged residents to keep their property secure and to look out for their neighbor's property as well.

"If you see anything suspicious, call it in."

Contact Rob Parsons at 934-6800 or rparsons@tcnpress.com.