Homer Police arrested a 25-year-old man for stealing a car and several items and firearms from a handful vehicles early Monday morning.
Officer Ryan Browning said Travis Catron stole a Toyota Prius between midnight and 6 a.m. Monday. Catron also allegedly stole a range of items from six other vehicles, including two firearms.
"Knives and flashlights and that kind of stuff," Browning said. "So we were able to actually get everything back except for a bag that had been stolen from a gal that contained stuff for her job: stethoscopes, medical equipment, things like that."
Browning says Catron was also involved in stealing a truck on August 21. Browning said police recovered the truck and arrested the other man that was allegedly involved in the theft: Niko Mogar.
Browning said Monday’s incident follows a rash of thefts from cars this summer.
"I don't know the numbers but it sure seems like there's been an uptick in just small misdemeanor thefts and people going through unlocked cars," he said. "I'd say a lot more gas thefts. You know guys going around siphoning fuel from cars; we’ve had a couple arrests with that.
Police charged Catron with theft, and two separate counts of theft of a firearm among other charges. Mogar was also charged for his alleged involvement in stealing a truck earlier this month.
Browning said police recovered several items from Monday’s incident that didn’t belong to the six residents who reported items missing from their vehicles, and he encourages residents, particularly those who parked on the Homer Spit the last couple nights, to check their vehicles for missing items.