Police are looking for two men and a car they suspect are connected to at least one vehicle break-in this week in the Center Grove area.
At 7 a.m. Wednesday, police were called to the Shadow Hills neighborhood near Peterman and Fairview roads where a resident reported his truck had been broken into overnight.
The thief or thieves stole a handgun, cash and two winning lottery tickets, according to a report from the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office.
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Three other break-ins were reported in the same area overnight.
Seen at gas station
Two men and a silver car were caught on surveillance video at a southside gas station hours after the break-in, and police suspect they are connected to at least one break-in.
A resident reported his truck in the 300 block of Shadow Hill Drive was broken into late Tuesday or early Wednesday. He noticed a handgun was missing, along with $200 cash and two winning lottery tickets. He also found money scattered in his front yard, according to the report.
Investigators contacted the Hoosier Lottery security office, who said one of the winning tickets was cashed in at a gas station off Southport Road at 8 a.m.
Police got surveillance video from the gas station, which showed a man cashing in the ticket and a second man who was with him riding in the same vehicle, Sheriff Doug Cox said.
Authorities ask for help
Now, investigators are looking for help finding the men. Cox said it is unlikely the men in the videos are connected to recent arrests by the sheriff’s office in other vehicle break-ins. Investigators believe these men are likely a separate group that is also breaking into vehicles here and elsewhere, he said.
The sheriff’s office also got reports of three other vehicle break-ins in both Shadow Hills and The Villas, located across Fairview Road, and police suspect the men could be connected to those.
Just before 8 a.m. a resident in the 300 block of Shadow Road reported someone got into two of their vehicles and stole tools and hypodermic needles from a medicine bag. The resident said the vehicles were locked.
At 7:30 a.m., a resident in the 3900 block of Shadow Hill Lane told police thieves got into two vehicles and stole $120 and computer tools.
And at 9:30 a.m., a resident in the 4000 block of Santa Clara Drive said someone got into his unlocked truck and stole a tool kit.
Anyone with information is asked to call the sheriff’s office at 346-4654.
