Town of Lolo Plagued by Vehicle Break-Ins, Citizens Asked to be Extra Vigilant

The Missoula County Sheriff's Department is looking for suspects in a vehicle break-in that occurred on Farm Lane in Lolo over the weekend (November 24).

"It turns out an unlocked vehicle was broken into," said Missoula County Sheriff's Department Public Information Officer Paige Pavalone. "Junior ice skates and other ice hockey equipment was stolen out of the car totaling about $200. Obviously these belong to a kid, so we are looking for information on that. If any of that information turns up in Lolo or someone tries to pawn it, we are asking for people to call the Sheriff's Department or Crime Stoppers with that information."

Two weeks ago, three individuals from Missoula confessed to breaking into around twenty Lolo vehicles in one night. Their spree only ended after they were confronted by an off-duty TSA agent. It appears that vehicle break-ins have become a new normal for the small town.

"When I compile the [weekly Sheriff's report], I go through all of the county briefings and all of the incidents that occurred over the weekend," Pavalone said. "Just based on my experience, and all of the reviews I've read, Lolo is hit consistently every single weekend with vehicle break-ins. That's everything from purses, credit cards, wallets... we've even had an AR, all stolen from cars."

The Sheriff's Department is asking the Lolo community to be extra vigilant and to report any suspicious activity. Pavalone said that most of the vehicle break-ins in Lolo are still unsolved.