Vehicles pulled from lake

CELINA - Two vehicles reported stolen were found by divers off Grand Lake's west bank on Tuesday, and Celina Police Chief Tom Wale is warning residents to take steps to prevent theft.

This discovery follows an incident in which two other stolen vehicles were found in the lake in July. Wale said the incidents were likely connected.

The vehicles found Tuesday had both been reported missing in Celina, Wale told the newspaper. One was reported as stolen from Windsor Circle on Sunday, and the other was reported stolen from Ivy Lane on July 29.

The biggest issue is people leaving their keys in their car, Wale said. Leaving a set of keys in the vehicle was a common denominator for all the cases, and it's believed the suspects are looking into cars to find the ones with keys in them. Leaving keys in a vehicle makes it easier for people to steal and damage it.

Wale urged people to lock their car doors and not to keep valuables, including keys or weapons, in their vehicles.

The matter is being investigated by the Celina and Coldwater police departments as well as the Mercer County Sheriff's Office. One of the earlier cars had been reported stolen from Coldwater.