Police: Couple steals from vehicles at schools

AVON, Ind. (WISH) - Police say the same couple may be responsible for as many as seven cases of smash-and-grab thefts from vehicles in several central Indiana communities.

Avon Police detective Brian Nugent says the couple has been captured on surveillance video using stolen credit cards to make purchases at area stores.

The couple is described as a heavy set white female and a black male.

Six of the seven cases Nugent was aware of occurred in school parking lots between 2 and 7 p.m. the other case was at a dog park.

The cards are used within 20 and 30 minutes of the thefts, mainly to purchase iPads from Walmart, Target and Game Stop. The cards are also used to buy gas.

The vehicle is described as a white Dodge Avenger.

Cheryl Thomas was watching her daughter's volleyball game at South Putnam High School, when thieves targeted her vehicle.

"I had my briefcase and my purse was also in there," explains Cheryl Thomas who was the victim of a smash-and-grab at South Putnam High School. "My briefcase was leaning in plain sight up against the console and my purse was tucked underneath. In my briefcase I had bank statements, paid bills, unpaid bills, and passwords to my credit card accounts."

Police are investigating cases in Fishers, Franklin, Hendricks County, Putnam County and Knightstown.

"I think a lot of times there seems to be a false sense of security that you're at a school, but you can't  take for granted that nothing bad is going to happen to you at a school. That there's sufficient security, and the truth is schools are very safe, but at the same time they're also vulnerable," explains Detective Brian Nugent with Avon Police.