Lindenhurst cops see spate of satellite dish thefts

To whoever is stealing satellite dishes in Lindenhurst: Police want you to know some companies give them away for free.

Lindenhurst police officials are investigating several thefts of low-hanging satellite dishes in the past year.

Police Cmdr. George Moravec said he is stumped as to why anyone would want to steal a satellite dish.

"It's either vandals grabbing them as a prank, or they are being taken for metal value," he said. "But, we checked around, and the junk yard is only giving people $2 for them. They aren't worth anything."

Andy Anderson, spokesman for Lake County Crime Stoppers, said between the evening of June 4 and the morning of June 5, Lindenhurst police received several reports of stolen satellite dishes.

The thefts occurred on Jasmine Circle in the Country Place North subdivision, and involved equipment from a variety of companies.

In 2007, between the evening of Aug. 13 and the morning of Aug. 14, two satellite dishes were stolen. Then, two more were stolen on Nuthatch Way and Barn Swallow Drive in the Country Place South subdivision.

"The thing is, the dish itself is useless; it's the hardware that would be worth some money if stolen," Moravec said. "Until we can figure out who is doing it, we are asking people to move their satellite dishes higher up to avoid them from being stolen."

Lake County Crime Stoppers and Lindenhurst Police are asking people to contact them if they have information about the thefts. Information that leads to an arrest can receive up to $1,000 from Crime Stoppers.