FARGO - Fargo police were busy this morning untangling reports of stolen cars and burning vehicles.
At 3:34 a.m., officers found a vehicle ablaze in the 200 block of Seventh Avenue North.
The owner was contacted and informed police the vehicle had been stolen, Sgt. Mark Lykken said.
At 4:33 a.m., vehicle thefts were reported at Bret's Painting at 1531 5th Ave. N.
Co-owner Vesna Fredrickson said two trucks with attached plows were stolen along with a workers private vehicle.
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The vehicles were stolen from a fenced yard that is guarded by a locked gate controlled by a code.
The gate was found unlocked when a worker arrived early in the morning, Fredrickson said.
She said a fourth vehicle taken from the yard was found stuck in a snowbank near the business.
It appeared the thief had trouble dealing with a manual transmission, she said.
At 5:14 a.m., Fargo police found a burning vehicle in the area of First Avenue and 12th Street South.
Police linked that car to a stolen car report that came in at 6:26 a.m.
That vehicle was taken from 101 2nd St. S., Lykken said.
At 7 a.m., Fargo police recovered a vehicle that had been reported stolen out of Moorhead.
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Lykken said reports were not complete, but he said in many of the cases it appeared keys had been left in the vehicles.
It was unclear whether any of the cases were connected, he said.
The vehicle thefts were just part of a busy morning for Fargo police.
At about 3:40 a.m., police received a report of car prowlers in the 1200 block of 45th Ave. North.
Before officers arrived, the suspects took off in a van.
Police later spotted a vehicle matching the description and stopped it.
It was apparent to officers the van contained items taken from vehicles and two 15-year-old juveniles were arrested, Lykken said.
