If you have never seen a vehicle being stolen, here's your chance.

Surveillance video has captured a thief in the act of stealing a van from the Dos Hombres parking lot in Clifton. The Mesa County Sheriff's Office has released a video that shows a mask-wearing subject steal the van in about two minutes. It doesn't take long.

What We Know About This Vehicle Theft

The white 2006 Ford E150 van was taken at about 11:30pm on March 24. The license plate is probably off the vehicle by now but the number is BKK-U64. Credit cards that were inside the van were reportedly used later in Utah, though it is not known if this vehicle was taken to Utah. If you have any information about this theft or can possibly identify the masked person in the video you should contact Crime Stoppers of Mesa County and reference case 21 8365.

Here's Another Stolen Vehicle Case

The Grand Junction Police Department reports a car was stolen March 19 from the Days Inn parking lot on Horizon Drive. The owner of the vehicle was apparently traveling to San Diego to report for military duty. Many valuable items were inside the vehicle including navy uniforms, a "seabag", two suitcases containing personal items including an HP laptop and an Apple watch.

At this point, authorities don't have any surveillance photos, but the suspect is described as 5'8" with a thin build, wearing a gray hoodie sweatshirt and orange baseball cap. If you happen to have information about this case you can leave a tip with Crime Stoppers of Mesa County.

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Car Thefts In Mesa County On the Rise

There has been a large spike in car thefts and thefts from vehicles in Mesa County in 2020 and now early in 2021, according to the Grand Junction Police Department.  You can never assume your vehicle is safe - unless, of course, it's locked up in your garage. If that's not possible for you, at the very least you can discourage car thieves by always locking your vehicle, and never leave the keys or valuables in the car.

My Car Was Stolen

You don't want to believe car theft could happen to you, but, it can happen to anybody. I was a victim of auto theft a number of years ago and I can tell you, it's a horrible feeling. You feel violated and extremely vulnerable. In my case, it was totally my fault. I was a dumb college student and left my keys in the car. That was over 35 years ago, and I can tell you I've never made that same mistake again.

 

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