Denton police are reminding people to lock their vehicles when they leave them after noting that 15 out of 16 cars that were burglarized in one part of town were left unsecured, allowing burglars to help themselves.

Officers responded Sunday about 7:30 a.m. to the 8000 block of Serenity Way. While investigating one vehicle burglary, they discovered more and were contacted by other owners as the morning wore on.

All the vehicles had been left unlocked except for one Mustang that had the window pried back by a tool that left a green, slimy residue, said Capt. Lenn Carter.

“This was likely youngsters, who probably would not have gotten into the cars if they had been locked,” Carter said.

In one case, the suspects moved a Dell laptop in its case but did not steal it. Instead, they took an artist’s portfolio and left it in front of the house next door, according to reports. In another instance, they took a leather jacket from a vehicle in front of a house and left it by the mailbox.

Four GPS units were stolen, as well as a digital camera, an iPod, a pair of binoculars and two packs of cigarettes from different vehicles.

The items were small enough to be carried away easily, further indicating the suspects were youngsters, according to the report.

Footprints in the dew-covered grass indicate the incidents happened in the early morning, most likely between 4 and 5 a.m.

Other reports

6000 block of James Place — A pizza delivery man on his way to deliver an order interrupted a burglary Saturday night.

The delivery man said he pulled into a driveway behind two vehicles and noticed a man crouched between them. Another man was inside one of the vehicles “rummaging around,” he said.

The men ran when the headlights from the delivery car fell on them. Witnesses said they saw two men running down the street but did not know they had committed a crime and did not know where they went.

The cars’ owners said both vehicles had been gone through but nothing appeared to be missing.

2500 block of Louise Street — A man reported about 3:45 a.m. Saturday that another man hit him in the eye and ran away with his coat.

The victim was inebriated, according to the report, as was a witness to the crime. The victim said he saw a man walking out of his apartment and believed the man had stolen from him.

The victim discovered his blue leather jacket was missing. He confronted a woman about the jacket because he thought her boyfriend had taken it, according to the report.

The boyfriend then struck him in the face with a shovel, the report states.

100 block of Taliafero Street — A Denton County sheriff’s deputy, aided by an off-duty Denton police officer, arrested three people from a car that fled from him Saturday night.

The deputy noted that he was driving on Carroll Boulevard at University Drive when he saw a car run a red light. He tried to stop the car, but the driver continued down University, then headed into the north part of Denton.

When the car finally stopped, the deputy saw a female passenger change seats with the male driver.

The woman insisted she was driving. The man finally admitted he was the driver but said he fled because he has no driver’s license. The Denton officer stopped and began helping with the arrests, and a small bag of methamphetamine dropped from the man’s clothing, the report states.

The woman was charged with evading arrest. The man was charged with evading, possession of a controlled substance and driving without a license.

A woman who was the backseat passenger showed the officer a driver’s license that had been altered, and she also was taken to jail, according to the police report.

Roundup

From 7 a.m. Friday to 7 a.m. Monday:

• Denton police handled 803 service and officer-initiated calls, including three assaults, one case of evading arrest, one report of harassment, three cases of possession of a controlled substance, one case of tampering with evidence, two burglaries, six reports of criminal mischief, one robbery, one attempted suicide, one theft, three vehicle burglaries, one runaway, one kidnapping and one case of possession of a dangerous drug.

• Denton County sheriff’s dispatchers handled 734 service and officer-initiated calls for the agencies they serve. A total of 133 people were booked into county jail. Deputies took reports of two cases of evading arrest, one case of presenting an altered driver’s license, two cases of criminal mischief, one case of possession of marijuana in a drug-free zone, one assault, two suicidal persons, two cases of possession of marijuana, two thefts and two vehicle burglaries.

• Denton firefighters responded to 45 medical calls, two requests to assist an invalid, one overheated motor, one false call, one electrical fire, one smoke investigation, three traffic accidents, two requests to assist police, one gas spill and one rubbish fire.

Lake Cities firefighters responded to nine medical calls, two traffic accidents and one request for mutual aid.

Sanger firefighters responded to 12 medical calls, one fire, one traffic accident and one request to assist a motorist.

Aubrey firefighters responded to three medical calls, one downed power line, three requests to unlock a vehicle, one gas leak, one illegal burn, one fire, one alarm and one traffic accident.

Argyle firefighters responded to one alarm, three medical calls and two traffic accidents.

Krum firefighters responded to four medical calls, one fire and one illegal burn.

Pilot Point firefighters responded to one illegal burn, three medical calls, one request to unlock a vehicle and one request to assist a citizen.

Oak Point firefighters responded to one illegal burn and three medical calls.

Ponder firefighters responded to one request to assist a citizen.

DONNA FIELDER can be reached at 940-566-6885. Her e-mail address is dfielder@dentonrc.com .

Denton County Crime Stoppers will pay a reward of up to $1,000 for information leading to an arrest in these or other crimes. Callers will remain anonymous. Call 1-800-388-TIPS (8477). Reach the Denton police narcotics tip line at 940-565-5801.