As temperatures go down, car break-ins are going up.
Police have always warned us to lock our car doors at night. But unfortunately, one Columbus man had to learn about car theft the hard way.
Retired truck driver Henry Harper has lived in his home off of Merrywood Drive for twenty years.
“We really don’t have a lot of trouble in this neighborhood. It’s a pretty quiet neighborhood,” Harper said.
But, the peacefulness came to an end earlier this week.
AT 2 a.m. Tuesday morning, Harper’s car as well as his neighbors, was broken into by thieves. Harper says they stole his gun out of his gun case located on the passenger side of his car.
He says there was no signs of force entry because he kept his car doors unlocked.
“I leave my key in the truck all the time. It’s been this way for years. I never had to hide a key or lock nothing around here,” Harper said.
Harper says he won’t be able to sleep at night because of this tragic situation. But, he says he has learned a valuable lesson since his car has been broken into.
“My doors will not be unlocked anymore. My keys will be in my pocket,” Harper said.
Columbus police say locking your car doors won’t make car break-ins preventable. But, if car doors are locked, criminals will think twice before breaking in.
