PATASKALA, Ohio — The only thing constant is change.
At Broadmoore Commons in Pataskala, a neighborhood that was established four years ago, change needs to happen quickly.
Jenn Lucas and her wife moved in about a year ago after building their home where they are now raising three children. Never did they think their new home would be the target of theft.
“I got a message from one of my neighbors in the morning, cause she lives across the street [and] they tried to break-in to her husband’s truck,” Lucas said. “And, she said if you didn’t leave last night at like 12:30, your car was definitely stolen.”
Her home security system got it all on camera.
It was two nights ago when someone walked up her driveway, unlocked her car, got in and drove away.
“It’s a new game for them and they have a device that is able to get into keyless entry cars,” she said.
A game that has been played, now, for too long.
“So, this happened probably two, two-and-a-half, three weeks ago,” Nathan Leiding said.
Leiding came out to his vehicle, one morning, and noticed his doors were unlocked. It was odd, he thought, since he calls himself so methodical about locking his doors. Inside was disheveled and then he realized the only thing that was missing.
“I had a nine-millimeter pistol that was left in the vehicle,” he said.
The legal gun owner says he felt sick while a world of unknowns rushed through his head.
“Well, who got it,” he asked. “What are they doing with it? What’s their intentions with it? What if they were to use it for the wrong purposes and that’s something that sits on your conscience with.”
Both Leiding and Lucas say they filed police reports. The Pataskala Police Department says it is aware of the incidents and is investigating. However, they want to point out that car break-ins and car thefts are not on the rise, but rather consistent with numbers from years past.
Lucas hopes her security camera footage is enough to catch who’s responsible and bring a positive change to her neighborhood.
“You can see his entire face,” she said. “If they catch him, I can identify him. I know exactly what he looks like.”