Day Cares On Alert After Couple Arrested For Alleged Vehicle Break-Ins
DENVER (CBS4) – Day cares along the Front Range are now on alert after two people who are accused of staking out day cares to break into parents' vehicles were arrested.
Police believe Bianca Montel and Christopher Ureste are responsible for the crimes. They suspect the couple wasted no time, heading straight for nearby stores with the stolen credit cards.
Montel and Ureste are accused of hitting day cares in Longmont, Loveland, Greeley, Broomfield and several other communities.
CBS4's Suzanne McCarroll talked to parents of young children to see how they handle situations like picking up their kids.
Almost any parent understands exactly how it could happen -- purses, car seats, squirming children and time constraints can make all parents negligent at times.
It wasn't a scientific survey, but every single day care parent McCarroll talked to said the same thing.
"Did you lock your car and where is your purse?" McCarroll asked a mother.
"No, and it's in my car," the woman responded.
In fact, her purse was wide open on the front seat of her unlocked car.
"Do you worry about it getting stolen? McCarroll asked the woman.
"Not really (while) just running into pick her up," she said.
"It's just easy, I'm lugging everything, taking belongings with you," another mother said. "Typically I only do it when I'm jumping out for a minute or two."
Police say the thieves only need a minute or two.
"They're stealing the credit cards and going to the businesses before the credit cards can be canceled," Longmont Police Cmdr. Jeff Satur said.
The suspects in these cases may be in custody, but it's a crime of opportunity and harried parents across the state are making it very easy for thieves to get away with the crime.
Police say, very simply, take the purse or wallet and lock the car.