A South Coast city has been hit by a rash of thefts, but investigators say in more than one out of five cases the owner was directly responsible what happened.
The Oxnard Police Auto Theft Task Force reports 118 vehicle thefts since the beginning of the year. But, in 24 cases the owners left the keys in the vehicle.
Officers have been issuing warnings to Oxnard residents about leaving running vehicles unattended.
The Auto Theft Task conducted an enforcement operation Thursday, citing 14 motorists who left their vehicles unattended with keys in the ignition, and engines running.
