Police bust band of car thieves

Police said it was as easy as 1, 2, 3. Open the unlocked car door, find the key inside and then drive away.

A band of car thieves used this simple method to steal at least four cars in the Lake Ridge area over the past two weeks, police said.

And now five people face charges in connection to the crimes.

On Thursday two cars — a 1992 Honda Civic and a 2007 Toyota Corolla — were stolen from the Springwoods neighborhood in Lake Ridge.

The thieves used the cars for joyriding, and the things left inside, such as laptop computers, GPS units and digital cameras, were pawned at shops in Prince William County, and at one shop in Prince George’s County, Md., said county police Det. Russ Crandol.

Washington traffic cameras on Friday spotted the two stolen cars headed back into Virginia and police there notified detectives in Prince William County.

That night, Crandol saw the Honda Civic parked on a Lake Ridge street.

Sleeping inside of the car was a 16-year-old Dale City boy, and 20-year-old Dion Toney, of 3625 Cebu Island Drive in Lake Ridge.

Crandol arrested the two in connection to the stolen car, and the undamaged Honda Civic was returned to its owner, police said.

Toney is suspected of being a ring leader of sorts, as he is the only one old enough to legally pawn the stolen items.

But the stolen Toyota Corolla had yet to be found.

“After I finished up with making the arrest I went to roll call for the morning shift that was coming on, to brief them on what had happened,” said Crandol.

Then another break in the case that Saturday afternoon when Toyota Corolla was spotted at Daniel Stuart Square in Woodbridge. Police swooped in, but the car sped off to nearby Maryland Avenue. After a chase, three teens inside stopped the car and ran.

Investigators called in police dog Stryker, who soon found three 17-year-old Dale City boys hiding in some bushes. They, too, were arrested in connection to the car thefts.

Investigators also found about 30 GPS units inside the Toyota, as well as other items that had been reported stolen from other cars near Springwoods Drive.

Police have a large collection of stolen items — some whose owners identified them by their serial numbers — and other items which have not been identified.

All the stolen items are now considered evidence and will be returned to their owners after trial, said Prince William police spokeswoman Erika Hernandez.

She added that investigators work closely with area pawn shops, notifying them about items in their possession that may be stolen.

Two other cars were also stolen from the Springwoods neighborhood just a week before — a 1998 Honda Civic and a 2008 Honda Accord.

The Accord has not been found and Crandol said that Toney and the four teens are all suspected of stealing them, using a valet or spare key that was left inside the cars.

“We can’t stress it enough that people should lock their car doors at night and bring any and all valuables inside with them,” said Prince William County Crime Prevention Officer Kim Sawicki.

She educates the public and local businesses about how not to become a crime statistic, and encourages people to make a list the serial numbers of the valuable electronics so they may be identified later.

Crandol also said residents can take individual photos of their valuables and save it on their computer, for later identification.

Sawicki also said car dealerships sometimes fail to tell new car buyers that a valet key may in the glove box.

She said to remove them and to never keep a spare key on the car itself.

Toney was released on a $25,000 bond and the teenagers were returned to their parents.

Staff writer Uriah A. Kiser can be reached at 703-878-8065.