Clearwater Police see spike in beach blanket thefts

CLEARWATER BEACH, Fla. - Police have gotten four reports within a week about beach blanket thefts, and now they're asking everyone to watch their belongings - or keep valuables at home.

Police say the thieves took purses, wallets, money, credit cards, even cell phones and iPods.

Danielle Bouska, who's visiting from Ohio, admitted "I'm probably one of those people. I've never had my stuff stolen, but I leave it. Like, I'll leave my credit card, my phone, everything, and just walk off."

Curtis Frizzell says he doesn't bring any valuables to the beach , except for his keys. He learned a tough lesson years ago back in Detroit, when someone once stole his wallet from his car.

"That changed everything, you know. Lock your cars up, leave everything in your car. Just bring what you need to the beach."

When ABC Action News told a group that's visiting from New Jersey about the thefts, they said looking after each other's belongings is less annoying than having to buy new things.

"I don't want a vacation being ruined, and you know," Ana Arias said. "And you are most likely not going to get your phone back."

Though Clearwater Police say they have seen a spike within the last week of these towel thefts, they say they can't connect all four of them. They're not sure if the same person or people are committing these crimes.