Two young men await theft charges after at least 20 vehicles were entered and items taken in the Clinton area this past weekend, according to the Island County Sheriff’s Office.

Lt. Evan Tingstad, of the Sheriff’s Office South Precinct, said the 19-year-old Clinton man and 18-year-old Mount Vernon man, a former Freeland resident, were taken into custody about

7 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 12 after the string of break-ins near Deer Lake that began about 3 a.m. the same morning.

“It was one lengthy event,” Tingstad said. “It was all in the same evening.”

He said the vehicles were parked along roadways and in driveways in the Timberline Road and Cedar Vista Drive areas.

He said a variety of vehicles were involved, and most had been unlocked at the time of entry.

Tingstad said more than a half-dozen vehicles were entered on Cedar Vista Drive, and more than a dozen vehicles along Timberline Road.

Items taken included CDs, stereos, music players, money, batteries, cigarette lighters, several pairs of sunglasses and a bottle of perfume, he said.

Tingstad said the two suspects were apprehended in a traffic stop in the Clinton area after a Timberline Road resident reported a suspicious vehicle in the area about 5:30 a.m.

He said a South Precinct deputy was patrolling nearby, recognized the car and made the arrests.

Tingstad said the two men were released on their own recognizance pending conclusion of the investigation, at which point charges “definitely” will be filed.

He said several victims of the car prowls have yet to be identified.

Tingstad urged anyone in the area who has items missing from a vehicle to contact the South Precinct at 331-4535.

“If people would just take a minute to look in their cars and give us a call, we can clear up the items we’ve recovered,” Tingstad said.