Saturday, June 21, 2025

Multiple vehicle break-ins prompt community meeting with sheriff By IRENE NOLAN

Share post:

By IRENE NOLAN

Dare County Sheriff Doug Doughtie will meet with members of the Hatteras Island community on Wednesday evening at 7 p.m. at the Cape Hatteras Anglers Club in Buxton to discuss security after a series of vehicle break-ins over the weekend.

Chief Deputy Steve Hoggard said today that the Sheriff’s Office had received about 33 reports of break-in so far, most on Sunday night and most in the Brigand’s Bay subdivision in Frisco and the Buxton Back Road area.

Most of the vehicles were unlocked. Various items were taken, including cash, change, and electronics, such as cameras, an iPad, and phones.

In one incident on Captain’s Court in Brigand’s Bay, the thieves entered a garage underneath the house to take items from the vehicles inside.

In some cases, nothing was apparently stolen, but it was apparent that someone had been riffling through items in glove boxes and consoles.

Hoggard said no one who made a report saw or heard anything unusual Sunday night, but discovered the break-ins the following morning.  However, strong storms passed through the area with a cold front about 8 p.m. and the rest of the night was very windy – and noisy.

Dare County Criminal Investigator Doug Oberbeck is in charge of investigating the break-ins, and Hoggard said the office has two investigators working “just as hard as they can” on the incidents.

Meanwhile, Hoggard says that the break-ins were crimes of opportunity and that the Sheriff’s Office recommends locking vehicles.

Generally, he said, thieves avoid the noise of breaking into locked cars, but that an unlocked car is easy to go through very quickly and quietly.

A reward will be offered for information that leads to arrests in these cases.  Anyone who has information should contact Oberbeck at the Sheriff’s Office at 252-475-9355 or the Dare Community Crime Line at 800-745-2746. Also call 911 to report suspicious persons or vehicles in your neighborhood.

Travis Cullifer, president of the Brigand’s Bay Homeowners’ Association, arranged the meeting with Sheriff Doughtie, but all in the community are invited to attend.

Dare County Sheriff Doug Doughtie will meet with members of the Hatteras Island community on Wednesday evening at 7 p.m. at the Cape Hatteras Anglers Club in Buxton to discuss security after a series of vehicle break-ins over the weekend.

Chief Deputy Steve Hoggard said today that the Sheriff’s Office had received about 33 reports of break-in so far, most on Sunday night and most in the Brigand’s Bay subdivision in Frisco and the Buxton Back Road area.

Most of the vehicles were unlocked. Various items were taken, including cash, change, and electronics, such as cameras, an iPad, and phones.

In one incident on Captain’s Court in Brigand’s Bay, the thieves entered a garage underneath the house to take items from the vehicles inside.

In some cases, nothing was apparently stolen, but it was apparent that someone had been riffling through items in glove boxes and consoles.

Hoggard said no one who made a report saw or heard anything unusual Sunday night, but discovered the break-ins the following morning.  However, strong storms passed through the area with a cold front about 8 p.m. and the rest of the night was very windy – and noisy.

Dare County Criminal Investigator Doug Oberbeck is in charge of investigating the break-ins, and Hoggard said the office has two investigators working “just as hard as they can” on the incidents.

Meanwhile, Hoggard says that the break-ins were crimes of opportunity and that the Sheriff’s Office recommends locking vehicles.

Generally, he said, thieves avoid the noise of breaking into locked cars, but that an unlocked car is easy to go through very quickly and quietly.

A reward will be offered for information that leads to arrests in these cases.  Anyone who has information should contact Oberbeck at the Sheriff’s Office at 252-475-9355 or the Dare Community Crime Line at 800-745-2746. Also call 911 to report suspicious persons or vehicles in your neighborhood.

Travis Cullifer, president of the Brigand’s Bay Homeowners’ Association, arranged the meeting with Sheriff Doughtie, but all in the community are invited to attend.

Dare County Sheriff Doug Doughtie will meet with members of the Hatteras Island community on Wednesday evening at 7 p.m. at the Cape Hatteras Anglers Club in Buxton to discuss security after a series of vehicle break-ins over the weekend.

Chief Deputy Steve Hoggard said today that the Sheriff’s Office had received about 33 reports of break-in so far, most on Sunday night and most in the Brigand’s Bay subdivision in Frisco and the Buxton Back Road area.

Most of the vehicles were unlocked. Various items were taken, including cash, change, and electronics, such as cameras, an iPad, and phones.

In one incident on Captain’s Court in Brigand’s Bay, the thieves entered a garage underneath the house to take items from the vehicles inside.

In some cases, nothing was apparently stolen, but it was apparent that someone had been riffling through items in glove boxes and consoles.

Hoggard said no one who made a report saw or heard anything unusual Sunday night, but discovered the break-ins the following morning.  However, strong storms passed through the area with a cold front about 8 p.m. and the rest of the night was very windy – and noisy.

Dare County Criminal Investigator Doug Oberbeck is in charge of investigating the break-ins, and Hoggard said the office has two investigators working “just as hard as they can” on the incidents.

Meanwhile, Hoggard says that the break-ins were crimes of opportunity and that the Sheriff’s Office recommends locking vehicles.

Generally, he said, thieves avoid the noise of breaking into locked cars, but that an unlocked car is easy to go through very quickly and quietly.

A reward will be offered for information that leads to arrests in these cases.  Anyone who has information should contact Oberbeck at the Sheriff’s Office at 252-475-9355 or the Dare Community Crime Line at 800-745-2746. Also call 911 to report suspicious persons or vehicles in your neighborhood.

Travis Cullifer, president of the Brigand’s Bay Homeowners’ Association, arranged the meeting with Sheriff Doughtie, but all in the community are invited to attend.

The vehicle break-ins come on the heels of a rash of breaking and entering into unoccupied rental houses earlier this winter, mostly in the Rodanthe, Waves, and Salvo area.

The item of choice for these thieves was flat-screen televisions.

Most of the incidents were in January, and Hoggard says they now total about 40.

There have been no arrests in these break-ins, but Hoggard says the Sheriff’s Office is looking at “persons of interest” who may have been involved in similar thefts in resort communities elsewhere in Eastern North Carolina.

The Sheriff’s Office is working with many other agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the State Bureau of Investigation.  Hoggard also said patrols were increased in the area of the tri-villages.

Anyone with information on these break-ins is also encouraged to call the Dare Community Crime Line at 800-745-2746.

The vehicle break-ins come on the heels of a rash of breaking and entering into unoccupied rental houses earlier this winter, mostly in the Rodanthe, Waves, and Salvo area.

The item of choice for these thieves was flat-screen televisions.

Most of the incidents were in January, and Hoggard says they now total about 40.

There have been no arrests in these break-ins, but Hoggard says the Sheriff’s Office is looking at “persons of interest” who may have been involved in similar thefts in resort communities elsewhere in Eastern North Carolina.

The Sheriff’s Office is working with many other agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the State Bureau of Investigation.  Hoggard also said patrols were increased in the area of the tri-villages.

Anyone with information on these break-ins is also encouraged to call the Dare Community Crime Line at 800-745-2746.

The vehicle break-ins come on the heels of a rash of breaking and entering into unoccupied rental houses earlier this winter, mostly in the Rodanthe, Waves, and Salvo area.

The item of choice for these thieves was flat-screen televisions.

Most of the incidents were in January, and Hoggard says they now total about 40.

There have been no arrests in these break-ins, but Hoggard says the Sheriff’s Office is looking at “persons of interest” who may have been involved in similar thefts in resort communities elsewhere in Eastern North Carolina.

The Sheriff’s Office is working with many other agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the State Bureau of Investigation.  Hoggard also said patrols were increased in the area of the tri-villages.

Anyone with information on these break-ins is also encouraged to call the Dare Community Crime Line at 800-745-2746.

     Subject 

     Name

(required, will not be published)

(required, will not be published)

City :  

    State :  

     Your Comments:

May be posted on the Letters to the Editor page at the discretion of the editor.

May be posted on the Letters to the Editor page at the discretion of the editor.

May be posted on the Letters to the Editor page at the discretion of the editor.

May be posted on the Letters to the Editor page at the discretion of the editor.

Trending

Subscribe

Help Support Local News! Subscribe for Free, Upgrade to Premium, or Make a Contribution.

Related articles

North Carolina is drought-free for the first time since October 2024 

North Carolina is drought-free in the latest advisory issued Thursday by the North Carolina Drought Management Advisory Council...

State Senate sends bill banning shrimp trawling back to House; buyout program proposed

With additional reporting from Sam Walker at SamWalkerOBXNews.com The North Carolina Senate passed House Bill 442 after a third...

Public Hearing to be held in Raleigh on June 26 on revision to state definition of ‘wetlands’

On Thursday, June 26, at 6:00 p.m., the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (NCDEQ) will hold a...

NWS HeatRisk tool shows daily forecast for extreme heat

The National Weather Service (NWS) recently issued a public reminder that heat waves are on the horizon, and...