Owners of older-model Honda Accords may want to keep a closer eye on their wheels.
Kennewick police Sgt. Ken Lattin says car thieves appear to be targeting early-1990s Accords.
Five were stolen just this past week, and similar thefts have been reported by other Tri-City law enforcement agencies, he said.
The first theft was reported Dec. 17 at 505 S. Olympia St. Miriam Garcia told police she left home about 10:30 p.m. with her boyfriend, Jose Correa, and when they got back at 2:20 a.m., Correa's car was gone.
There was no broken glass found where the white 1991 Honda Accord had been parked, Lattin said.
The car was found just after midnight four days later by Benton County sheriff's deputies.
Then on Dec. 20, at 7:30 a.m., police took a report about a white 1992 Accord that was stolen from the parking lot at 3204 W. Fourth Ave., Lattin said.
There were no signs of forced entry. Sheriff's deputies found the car at 10:45 a.m. that day, he said.
The next day, a Columbia Center mall employee reported her maroon 1991 Honda Accord was stolen from the parking lot near Sears. Lauren Silver told officers she got to work at 11:15 a.m. and discovered her car gone at 5 p.m.
There's dent on the driver's side front fender and the clear coating is peeling from the hood, Lattin said. The Accord has a Washington license plate 947ZKL. It has not been found.
On Thursday, Kennewick police got reports about two stolen Hondas.
The first was stolen overnight at 801 N. Tweedt St. and is believed to have been taken sometime after 1 a.m., Lattin said.
The 1992 Honda Accord, with Washington license plate 845VVW, has a dent in the driver's door, duct tape around the driver's window and a cracked headlight.
The other car, a maroon 1991 Honda Accord was swiped sometime between 5:30 p.m. and 9:30 a.m. from 1326 W. Seventh Place, Lattin said.
The burned car was found Thursday night by sheriff's deputies.
Vehicle thefts are on the rise in Kennewick this year, but are still lower than the five-year average, Lattin said. Officers investigated 132 auto thefts through November -- an 11 percent increase over the same period last year.
Anyone with information about the Honda thefts can call Tri-Cities Crime Stoppers at 586-8477. Calls to Crime Stoppers are confidential.
