Three trucks and one SUV were stolen in Olds last week.
"In all four incidents, the vehicles were left momentarily unattended, unlocked and running outside of businesses or residences," Olds RCMP Staff Sgt. Jim MacDonald wrote in a news release.
"Two of the vehicles were equipped with keyless ignition fob systems. Although the fobs were not in the vehicles, as they were left running and unlocked, they were easy targets for thieves."
One of the trucks, stolen on Feb. 6, was equipped with a GPS tracker. As a result, police were able to track it down in a rural area east of Olds.
While police searched for the suspect, he tried to steal an unattended police vehicle which was locked with the keys removed.
But that didn't work.
The 36-year-old male suspect was found and arrested.
He now faces several charges, including theft of the truck and being unlawfully in a dwelling house.
Police urge motorists to never leave their vehicles unattended and running unless they have been started with a remote start system that features an ignition shutdown function.
They say unattended vehicles should always be locked to help prevent the vehicle or contents inside from being stolen.
Last year, 62 vehicles were stolen in Olds and 39 were taken in the Olds RCMP detachment's rural patrol area.
"Thieves are opportunists and it takes mere seconds for an unattended, running and unlocked vehicle to be stolen," MacDonald says.
