Cars broken into at Cary access point for Tobacco Trail

The break-ins occurred on four separate occasions at the access point on White Oak Church Road, Capt. Don Hamilton of the Cary Police Department said. The thief or thieves smashed windows and made off with wallets, cellphones, portable GPS units and even a bank deposit bag containing $800 in cash.

"This is a popular spot – somewhat secluded – and folks know they're going to be out on the trail for hours," Hamilton said. "Sadly, it seems to be easy pickings for them."

Chris Tolp was the most recent victim. The personal trainer finished a two-hour run on the trail Wednesday afternoon and found both front windows of his car smashed in.

"I heard that most of the occurrences were on the Durham end of the trail and they were actually on the trail itself, so I was quite surprised that it happened in a Cary parking lot," Tolp said.

Numerous robberies and assaults have been reported in the past couple of years on the section of the American Tobacco Trail that passes through Durham.

"I had not heard of any incidents (in Cary) before, so I was pretty shocked. I thought it was a safe place to go," Tolp said.

He posted word of the break-ins on his company's Facebook page, and many people responded that they knew of other victims.

"For people to be in fear of going to a place like this really isn't fair," he said. "Something needs to be done, maybe electronic surveillance."

At least one security cameras has been posted along the trail in Durham. Hamilton wouldn't comment on steps Cary police are taking to combat the vehicle break-ins, other than to note patrols have been increased in the area.

Hiding belongings under a car seat, in the glove compartment or in the trunk simply doesn't provide enough protection in this case, he said, because the thief or thieves can still get to them after smashing the windows. He recommends leaving most personal items at home.

"Just take your driver's license with you (and) your keys if you're going for a long run," he said.