Vehicle Break-Ins Rampant at Katy Restaurants; Police Add Extra Patrols

KATY MAGAZINE NEWS

June 29, 2023

By Natalie Cook Clark

Katy is full of entertainment and families have plenty of restaurants to choose from including many along I-10. That area continues to be targeted for vehicle break-ins. Constable Ted Heap’s Office confirms that they have added additional patrols.

Katy Residents Continue to Experience Break-Ins

Katy residents have long reached out to Katy Magazine and shared their tales of vehicle break-ins at restaurants along I-10 such as Olive Garden.

“On our neighborhood area watch page, talks about it almost daily or every other day, someone posts that their car gets broken into in the Olive Garden parking lot,” says Melissa Meyer. “It’s so common that friends and family that I know won’t eat at any restaurants along there at all.”

According to Harris County Precinct 5 Constable Ted Heap’s Office, April was the worst month last year with a report of 16 vehicle break-ins in that area and 6 were at Olive Garden. To address the problem, Constable Ted Heap added additional patrols to the area and May saw a decrease to 6 break-ins. June is also trending a bit lower.

A representative with the department cautions that the numbers could be higher if someone waited to call authorities after they left the restaurant. Often times people will notice that something was taken from the backseat after they get home. This can happen if the window wasn't broken but rather the thief opened a back, unlocked door. Those calls wouldn’t show up in these statistics.

Cam Williams reached out to Katy Magazine after his family’s experience. They were told by the officer that this was a regular thing.

“We were at olive garden eating late at night and when we came back to our car around 10:00 p.m. our car was broken into,” says Williams. “We were also informed that three other cars were also hit in cheddars and olive garden parking lots that night.”

Tips to Help Not Be a Victim

Constable Ted Heap’s Office says that there are some very basic tips that residents can take to try and prevent being a victim.

• Always LOCK your doors.

• Do not leave valuables in your vehicle.

• Take everything with you.

• Check vehicle before leaving parking lot.

• If you believe you are a victim, call authorities.

The always busy I-10 freeway makes it easy for criminals to get access to vehicles and then quickly leave the scene. While Olive Garden has been mentioned a lot, victims have also mentioned Cheddars, Bombshells, and Abuelo’s Mexican Restaurant.

It's Not Just Restaurants

Katy families are also experiencing vehicle break-ins at local businesses in that area too.

Christie Barker says her vehicle was broken in while parked in front of LA Fitness on June 20, 2023 between 4:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.

“There was nothing to steal,” says Barker. “The passenger window was shattered, and it cost $214 to repair it. The door to the vehicle was also scratched and damaged as well.”

Even with added patrols, break-ins happen. Authorities stress that residents take steps to protect their property and to always alert the proper authorities if someone’s vehicle was broken into.

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