Wake County Sheriff's Office to increase patrols at trails, parks amid string of break-ins

The Wake County Sheriff's Office announced Wednesday they plan to increase patrols around the Neuse River Trail in Raleigh.

The increase in patrols comes after a string of robberies and break-ins at local parks and trails in Wake County.

The crime happened on Sunday afternoon, when the weather was clear, warm and sunny.

"We will continue to patrol the trail heads and areas around our parks as we understand more citizens will be utilizing the amenities with Spring-like weather returning to our area," said the Sheriff's office in a statement.

Neuse River Greenway is a trail that attracts a lot of traffic, according to one victim, but that didn't stop the thieves from smashing his car window window.

"We were probably watched as soon as we pulled into the parking lot," said the victim, who wished to remain anonymous. "We were in shock it was sad that happened in a beautiful setting."

The victim said the Sheriff's office told him this it was the third incident they had to investigate at the trail this month.

The Sheriff's office is reminding trail and park visitors to lock their doors and to leave their valuables at home.

"If you do bring item of value, we urge you to put them somewhere where they are not visible," said the Sheriff's office in a statement.

This trail visitor followed all of those steps, and it still happened.

It's one of the reasons why deputies are strategizing a plan to keep vehicles at parks and trails safe.

"We want resident to enjoy our beautiful country trails without worry," said the Sheriff's office's statement.