True Crime: Burglary of a motor vehicle

The Victim: Beatrice Gonzales
The Crime: Burglary of a motor vehicle
Date: Thursday, March 15
Time: Between 7:45 p.m. and 9 p.m.
Location: 700 block of Buckner

A thief stole the keys.

Beatrice Gonzales works out regularly at an East Dallas gym with her friend. The women never thought much of leaving their keys in an unlocked locker. Most people at the club seemed trustworthy, and they assumed there wouldn’t be a problem since they would be there only about an hour.

Unfortunately, they were wrong.

A crafty criminal sneaked into the locker room, grabbed the keys and headed to the parking lot. The criminal apparently then used the keys to unlock the cars and steal the women’s purses from their trunks.

The thief charged about $2,000 to each woman’s credit cards. It was a major inconvenience. Gonzales says she had to take a day off work to deal with the credit card charges and get a new driver’s license.

“It was crazy,” says Gonzales. “They actually called my bank and pretended to be me to try and change my online account password. It was a real hassle.”

Sr. Cpl. Anthony Allen of the Northeast Patrol Division says those who frequent gyms to work out might consider investing in a small bag or backpack they can keep with or near them while working out. They should also limit the amount of items kept in that bag to prevent major thefts.

“If possible, bring a combination padlock to secure your items in a locker that is provided,” he adds.

If identification and credit cards are stolen, immediately call the bank and cancel all credit cards. Victims should also file a police report, and place a fraud alert on credit reports with the credit bureaus.