http://www.poconorecord.com/apps/pbc...0340/-1/NEWS16

STROUDSBURG — Like a boomerang, Rick Halstead's Jeep came back to him. But he is still out $1,200 and a set of crummy golf clubs.

Halstead, 42, of Stroudsburg, was a little lax about security. He left his wallet on the seat of his unlocked Jeep Wrangler while parked at his home, at 1510 Wallace St., three weeks ago. Someone stole the wallet and charged more than $1,200 on his debit card.

Halstead learned that one of the first charges was for the purchase of a $200 prepaid credit card at the Stroudsburg Turkey Hill. The thief also went to Burger King, a gas station and bought more than $200 worth of cigarettes at a tobacco shop.

This week he left his keys in the unlocked Jeep at his home.

At 1 a.m. Wednesday, Halstead woke to a familiar sound, the squeal of the Jeep's fan belt.

"I walked outside, and it was gone. I thought, 'Who took my car?'" Halstead said. "It doesn't make sense. It's not that special. It's a '94 Jeep. It's my wheels. It's my own fault for leaving the keys in my car in the driveway."

Thursday, Halstead's sister was on her way to his house when she spotted the abandoned Jeep on Seneca Way, just a few blocks from his home. An old set of golf clubs and the keys were missing, but the gas tank was still full. A neighbor said the Jeep had been parked there since about 1:30 a.m. Wednesday.

"I've learned not to leave my keys in the vehicle and to lock it," Halstead said.

Halstead was unlucky, but he's not the only one. Theft and burglaries are on the rise, according to police.

Stroud Area Regional Police say those crimes spiked since June. Residential break-ins, vehicle break-ins and retail theft have all gone up. As a result, police have increased patrols.

Lt. Brian Kimmins of SARP says people must be alert. If you notice something suspicious, such as people loitering and looking into cars, your suspicions are justified. Police are not sure why crime is spiking, but say it could be the economy. Laptop computers and GPS units are frequent targets of thieves.

Chief Harry Lewis of the Pocono Mountain Regional Police has not noticed a difference in burglaries. "Burglaries are consistent with us because we have a lot of secondary homes." There were 50 burglaries in August.

But retail theft, mostly at Kmart and Wal-Mart in Mount Pocono, has nearly doubled. Since spring, retail theft cases have jumped from around 20 a month to an average of 30 to 40 a month. In August, Pocono Mountain Regional answered 75 burglaries and thefts.

"Retail theft is mostly kids and drug addicts," Lewis said.

Just Friday, a 19-year-old landscaper was under arrest for retail theft at Pocono Mountain. According to police, the suspect said he cut the wire on his iPod headphones with the weed whacker while working. He told police he had lost his wallet, so he stole a new set of headphones. When he went out to his car, he found his wallet. It was on the car seat.

Pocono Township Police have seen mostly steady crime rates. There have been 19 burglaries between May and August this year, compared with 15 last year. Many involve copper pipes from vacant homes. In the same time frame, thefts were at 56 this year, up from 42 a year ago.