Car thefts are up in Lincoln this year and at least two recent cases could be tied in to a string of burglaries in the Denton area.

In Lincoln, police say they have handled 78 reported car thefts since January 1, up from the 46 reported during the same time period in 2018.

Two trucks that were stolen were found in or around Denton on Wednesday, according to Lancaster County Sheriff’s Captain Ben Houchin. One of those trucks was a 2016 white Chevy Silverado taken from DuTeau Chevrolet near 27th and Yankee Hill Road and later found with significant damage to the interior, sitting in a Denton driveway.

Lincoln Police Officer Angela Sands said the Silverado is one of three stolen from DuTeau in February, where someone would damage the key lockboxes on the truck, get the key and drive away.

The other truck, a Ford F-350, was stolen from north Lincoln and ended up in a field just outside of Denton, Captain Houchin said on Thursday.

However, the United Methodist Church and Denton Co-Op were broken into but had nothing missing, according to Houchin. He said, though, office equipment (laptop, vinyl cutter, printer), some fireworks and a white GMC Sierra pickup were taken from Little Country Auto Sales in Denton sometime on Wednesday.

Captain Houchin believes all these crimes are likely connected. If you know anything about these cases, call the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office at 402-441-6500 or Lincoln Police at 402-441-6000.