Authorities are investigating a series of vehicle break-ins that occurred recently in Bellefontaine.
Early Thursday morning, Bellefontaine Police responded to reports of multiple vehicles being entered at the Super 8 Motel, with at least one firearm reported stolen.
Officers arrived at the scene and found several cars had been tampered with.
Victims present during the investigation provided details about the incidents, with one reporting the theft of a 9mm Springfield Hellcat pistol from their vehicle.
This information has since been entered into the LEADS system as a stolen firearm.
Later that morning, officers were dispatched back to the Motel for another report of vandalism.
A caller reported that their white Dodge truck had the rear right passenger window broken, and multiple items were stolen from inside, including passports, identification cards, a purse containing debit cards, and $40 in cash.
At approximately 3:54 PM on the same day, officers were dispatched to the motel again regarding yet another vehicle vandalism incident.
They met with a victim who reported that her maroon Honda CRV had the right front passenger window broken.
Several items were stolen from inside, including two lunch boxes valued at approximately $25 each and a pair of prescription glasses worth about $150.
Further investigation revealed that a black Chevy sedan entered the motel parking lot around 11:50 PM the previous night.
Security footage showed four individuals exiting the vehicle and breaking windows on multiple cars before rummaging through their contents.
Authorities are also looking into a similar incident reported 20 to 30 minutes earlier at a hotel in Marysville, OH.
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Additionally, also on Thursday morning, officers were dispatched to the Comfort Inn regarding a vandalism incident that occurred overnight.
Upon arrival, they spoke with a victim whose back passenger window had been shattered.
It appeared the window had been hit with an object, with glass scattered on the back seat and book bags visible inside the vehicle.
The victim confirmed that, after inspecting the interior, it seemed nothing had been stolen, as items of value in the center console remained untouched.
Two electric bikes mounted on a bike rack at the rear of the vehicle were also unscathed.
The victim stated the vehicle had been parked in its stall since 9:30 PM on Wednesday.
Officers reviewed security footage with Comfort Inn staff and observed a dark-colored four-door vehicle passing by the cameras near the front door at 11:48 PM.
At 11:50 PM, the same vehicle was seen driving through the entryway with no lights on.
The license plate remains unclear at this time.
Local police are urging anyone with information about the break-ins to come forward as they work to identify the suspects involved.
