Blotter: Vehicle burglar uses garage door opener to steal tools

One of the vehicles was parked on the street in the 400 block of Water Oak Street and the other vehicle was parked in the driveway. She said everything seemed fine on Sunday night.

When she and another resident went out the next morning, they realized the vehicles had been burglarized. It didn’t seem like there was any forced entry, she said. They reported they left the vehicle in the driveway unlocked but they weren’t sure about the one on the street.

There was a debit card, a cellphone charger and a USB adapter missing from one vehicle. From inside the other vehicle, the garage door opener was missing.

She checked her garage and found that a toolbox worth $110 was missing. Inside the toolbox was a Sawzall worth $159 and a drill hammer worth $246.

Police are still investigating the burglaries.

Other reports

8000 block of Woodcreek Circle — A couple reported Monday that someone tried to break into their home through the garage door, according to a police report.

At about 11:18 p.m., police were dispatched to a criminal mischief call. The caller said someone tried to break into her house.

Upon arrival, police spoke with the homeowners, who said they haven’t been living in the house because they’ve been remodeling. The last time they were there was on Friday.

The owners said they found their garage door was ajar and damaged. They said they spoke with some neighbors who told them they first noticed the garage was damaged on Monday morning. The owners are checking to see if there is security footage of the incident, according to the report.

The report did not detail how the garage was damaged. But it states repairs were estimated to cost $5,000.

Police are still investigating the incident as state jail felony-level criminal mischief.

4500 block of Hidden Meadows Trail — Worried there might be a crime involved, a woman called police Monday about a man with a suspicious trash bag in south Denton, according to a police report.

At about 8:04 p.m., police took a report over the phone about an illegal dumping. The caller said she saw a man dump something in an empty lot.

The caller said a van pulled into an empty lot and a man got out it. He was dragging a trash beg behind some trees, she said. Then he returned to his van with an empty bag in his hands. The caller told police she was concerned the man had dumped a body or some other illegal items.

Police went to the empty lot to investigate and found only a pile of grass clippings in the spot the caller had described.

It’s possible police will further investigate the incident as a case of illegal dumping, police spokesperson Amy Cunningham said.

Roundup

From 12:01 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. Monday, the Denton Police Department handled 358 service and officer-initiated calls and made nine arrests.