MANSON — A Lake City man was recently arrested for taking items from a vehicle in Manson and stealing another vehicle there, according to police.

James Geopfert was arrested on Jan. 6 and charged with second degree theft, third degree burglary and tampering with a vehicle identification number, Manson Police Chief Gerald Frick reported.

He was arrested by Cass County sheriff’s deputies after taking the vehicle identification number plate off of the stolen car and abandoning it in that county.

The arrest came as the Manson Police Department has investigated several vehicle burglary complaints over the last three weeks.

Frick said the burglars walk around and pull on the door handles of vehicles. If the door opens, they take any valuable items out of the vehicle.

Frick encourages everyone to lock their vehicles at night. He also advises that people should not leave belongings in vehicles where they can be seen by people walking by.