Benicia police said $1,000 of Christmas gifts intended for an Oakland Children’s Hospital charity were taken during one of three auto burglaries Monday morning.
The burglaries occurred between 5 a.m. and 6:50 a.m. on Monday in the 200 block of James Court and the 200 block of Chadwick Court, Lt. Frank Hartig said.
Two residents on Chadwick Court said a window was smashed to get inside their vehicles, but nothing was taken.
The Christmas presents were taken from a vehicle on James Court, Hartig said.
The burglary victim works for the Oncology Department of Oakland Children’s Hospital and Research Center, and the presents were intended for two families as part of the hospital’s Adopt a Family Program, Hartig said.
One family has six children and the other has four children, and the presents included toys, a skateboard, gift cards and clothing, according to Hartig.
Todd Matthews, president of the Benicia Fire Association, arranged for the James Court burglary victim to pick out gifts from their annual toy drive to give to the Adopt a Family recipients, Hartig said.
Kevin Rose, president of the Benicia Police Officer’s Association, said the union agreed to replace the stolen gift cards with a monetary contribution, Hartig said.
The video from one of the Chadwick Court burglaries shows the person entering the vehicle, and police believe all three burglaries are related, Hartig said.
Anyone with information about the burglaries is asked to call Benicia police at (707) 745-3412 or Crime Stoppers at (707) 644-7867.
Copyright © 2013 by Bay City News, Inc. … Republication, re-transmission or reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited.
