News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Car thieves struck twice in the Sisters Elementary School parking lot Thursday, November 20, stealing a car belonging to a high school student and a van belonging to a middle school employee.
Both vehicles were later recovered.
The student's car was a 1990 Dodge Spirit, which, according to the student, was parked and locked at the school parking lot. The school employee's vehicle was a 1991 Plymouth Voyager van, reportedly left unlocked with the woman's wallet under the seat. The keys, however, were not left in the van.
According to Sisters police, the thefts appear to be part of a pattern where thieves steal a vehicle, drive it for a short time, then dump it.
Another 1991 Plymouth Voyager was reported stolen in Bend Thursday morning. Later that day, a Sisters police officer patrolling the school area found yet another Plymouth Voyager, this time a 1993 model, that was reported stolen out of Lebanon.
Sisters police issued an all-points bulletin on the thefts, and Lebanon police responded with possible suspect information.
Police believe the thieves target Plymouth Voyagers because they are familiar with them and know how to break in and start them quickly.
Sisters police asked Bend police to check out the area where the Bend van was stolen, and officers found the Sisters van abandoned in a Shopko parking lot.
The Bend van was recovered in Welches near Hood River, where another vehicle was stolen, police reported.
Police have suspects in the thefts and the investigation is continuing.
The thefts at the school are the second incident of auto theft in Sisters in recent weeks. A truck was stolen from Hoyt's Hardware and Building Supply on the night of November 10-11. The thief crashed through a metal gate to get off the property.
Police are also investigating that case.
Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.
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