Teens arrested in robberies of unlocked cars in Clay County

Sheriff’s deputies charged the teens with 23 different counts of burglary.

The break-ins weren’t smash and grabs – the sheriff’s office reports all of the cars were unlocked.

Sheriff Michelle Cook is hoping this serves as a reminder to lock up at night, especially if valuables are inside.

“I lock my car every time I step out of it,” said Evanson Morin while shopping Sunday afternoon.

A simple beep – is what sheriff’s offices across Northeast Florida have pushed everyone to do repeatedly for years.

Clay County Sheriff’s deputies just closed seven cases, with 23 total theft victims, after a 14-year-old and 16-year-old confessed to a string of break ins in Keystone Heights.

“All of these burglaries happened to unlocked cars, so we’re serious when we say, lock your cars,” said Sheriff Michelle Cook.

It’s something  can’t reiterate enough, and The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office is more than familiar with the message too.

This weekend marks five years since starting the daily “9 o’clock routine,” – posts on Facebook urging folks to go beep their cars before calling it a night.

That’s more than 1800 days of posting, and the department says it still sees the problem too much.

“That’s how I learned to lock my door,” said Morin. “They broke into it. They broke the mirrors, stole my radio, stereo system. It only happened once.”

The teenagers were charged with 11 counts of burglary, 10 counts of armed burglary and two counts of grand theft.