The Crime: Burglary of a motor vehicle
The Victim: Bill Cheek
Location: 400 block of East Lawther
Date: Sunday, March 30
Time: 12:30 p.m.
It was supposed to be a sunny day of leisure on the lake.
And for a while, it was. With the spring temperature in the high 70s, Bill Cheek and his sailing partner went to White Rock Lake and navigated the historic reservoir in his boat, The Dream. After an hour of sailing, however, Cheek’s partner had to head back to land, and that’s when the bad news came.
“As I was having a drink at the dock and putting my boat away, I was told that my car was broken into,” Cheek says.
It turned out the passenger window of his car was shattered and his wallet was stolen.
“When I arrived at the boat house, the park was packed,” Cheek says. “There were bikers and joggers all around. I found a place to park and got my cooler and jacket. I walked about five steps and forgot about my wallet in my back pocket. I unlocked my Nissan and put my wallet in the center console.”
During Cheek’s hour-long naval adventure, the thief managed to use Cheek’s debit card 11 times. First there was a $1 charge, and then a series of charges totaling more than $660. Because the thief had also stolen Cheek’s driver’s license, he was able to use the correct zip code as security confirmation when he made purchases at a nearby gas station.
“It looks like he called his friends and filled up their trucks,” Cheek says. “When I got home, there were several gas charges.”
Dallas Police Sr. Cprl. Ron Carpenter says he suspects a thief was scoping the park when he spotted Cheek.
“Chances are that someone saw him take his wallet out and put it back in the car,” Carpenter says. “If he had not left his property in the vehicle, it wouldn’t have gotten stolen, especially at the lake. The bad guys know there is going to be some kind of stuff in the trunk. Use your valet keys to make sure that they can’t open the trunk.”
Cheek, a customer service manager at Lute Riley Honda, already has replaced his car window. He’s also working with his bank in an attempt to have the unauthorized charges removed.
“People need to keep their bank customer service numbers on their cell phones,” Cheek says. “They can stop those charges right away. And don’t stand outside your car and put your valuables away. Do it before you get out or even before you arrive.”
On the same day Cheek’s car was burglarized, another car burglary happened on the other side of the lake — but that doesn’t necessarily mean that criminals are running rampant around the lake. The police have extra eyes and ears with the Volunteers In Patrol (VIP) program, and they’re stepping it up a notch around White Rock Lake.
“The police are training civilians to recognize signs of criminal activity,” Carpenter says.
Carpenter says a VIP meeting recently was held at Winfrey Point, where 10 new members signed on to help, and he says police hope even more neighbors volunteer.
