I typically never allow my personal and professional life to cross, but it did on Friday, December 27, 2013. The start of my day was like any other, I woke up to the sun shining on my face, gave my three year old a little kiss and squeeze as I sat up in bed, grabbed my phone, responded to a few texts and turned on the shower because I was headed out for a walkthrough at the Nixon Library at 10:30 am. As the shower was heating up, I walked down the hallway to grab something from my purse, but could not find it. My purse was not in it's usual spot on the dining room table, but my wallet was out on the kitchen counter. Odd! Since it was right after Christmas, I disregarded it as holiday chaos, but where was my purse? As my Siberian Husky, Dakota, followed me around my house staring at me with her piercing blue eyes, she had a continuous low growl which I thought strange, but I kept searching.
Finally, I found my purse thrown by the back door. Still odd, but it was next to my desk, so I could have thrown it over there? Possibly? As I was trying to rationalize the wallet and the purse, I went into the living room and saw my son's soccer bag contents dumped in the middle of the floor with no bag and the ALARM BELLS IN MY MIND WENT OFF!!! Dog, purse, wallet, soccer bag and having been burglarized 10 years ago, I ran into my room with my dog and son, locked the door and hit the panic button on the alarm. I was not sure if the person(s) were in our home still, but I hoped that the screeching alarm would send them running if they were.
The next 10 minutes were a real blur, but I did have to cross the professional / personal line and tell my bride that I would not be making it and the reason why. It's funny where our mind goes, but as soon as I felt safe in my room, my mind went to my bride. I told her what was happening, that I would not be able to make it, but felt like I was letting her down. Her utter concern for my son and myself was so genuine, she promised to take notes for me and would check on me later. I relaxed a tad until the police came.
As the police officers and myself walked around my home to take inventory of what had been taken, I noticed the back door was unlocked and the rod in the back slider was out. The burglar(s) had either entered through the doggy door or reached up through it to unlock it. The Xbox and Play Station were gone, the cash missing out of my wallet, a gift card, and my kids $5 bills that were hung on the Christmas tree had been slipped out of the ribbon. It was so wrong on so many different levels.
Once I actually left my home, I noticed our next door neighbors dogs were in the front yard, so I knew that they burglars had been in there too. The neighbors started talking and we found out that 4 other homes had been hit that night on our block. We as a community started putting together our own timeline and have decided that dogs started barking uncontrollably and motion lights started going on and off at around midnight and a car started in front of our home and drove away at 4 am.
While we were all home asleep, these criminals went into unlocked gates, and hopped over the adjoining fences in the backyards checking for doggy doors, unlatched windows and unlocked doors. All of the other neighbors live in two-story homes, but I however, live in a single. Just to think that someone or multiple people were 18 feet away from my family while we slept and didn't hear a sound is extremely disturbing. Yes, my mind and imagination has drifted in so many directions, but I have chosen to take a proactive stance against all of this.
I took it upon myself to get the word out to our neighbors. I printed a flyer, and walked door-to-door along with my new BFF and fellow neighbor that was burglarized and knocked on 150 doors to spread the word. As the neighborhood began to talk, people started noticing things in their yards even if the burglars did not get inside, their homes had been tested for entry. Some homes had propane tanks knocked over, screens stacked on the side of the house, chairs pushed up against the side fence, etc... The positive, they are now talking!!!
The flyer we passed:
___________________________________
Burglaries in our Neighborhood!!!
Tynes Dr. & Ponce (that we are aware of)
We wanted to spread the word about the burglaries that took
place in our neighborhood on the evening of Thursday, December 26th (early
hours of the 27th), in the middle of the night. Approx. hours of 12:30 am – 4:00 am. While
we slept, a burglar(s) came into our homes thru various ways, but
basically it was through accessible entry points such as unlocked
doors/windows, doggy doors, etc. We
believe that they entered through the gates at the beginning of the cul de sac
and jumped walls because multiple neighbors have had items knocked over, motion
lights going on or heard things during this timeframe. They took cash from our wallets and left the
credit cards, and also took electronics such as gaming stations and
cameras.
*MOST NEIGHBORS ONLY
NOTICED THEIR ITEMS MISSING SATURDAY (AFTER WORD HAD GOTTEN AROUND OF OUR
BURGLARY). PLEASE CHECK YOUR LIVNING
ROOM, FAMILY ROOM, DINING ROOM AND KITCHENS!!! This seems to be the common areas in which
they went through.
We will be speaking
with the detective on Monday and organizing a neighborhood meeting in the
immediate future.
IF YOU SAW OR HEARD ANYTHING, PLEASE CONTACT THE PLACENTIA
Police Department at 714-993-8100.
___________________________________
The purpose of this is not to tell my story, but to reach a younger audience that no longer reads the daily paper or sits down to watch the evening news and make you aware of what is happening. It is my hope that this blog will create an additional outlet for community awareness on these burglaries and to prohibit future break-ins. Awareness is key to our safety as well helping the police catch these people. I urge you to pass this around by email, share it on facebook, and please just start talking to your neighbors or the police when you see anything suspicious.
I spoke with Sgt. Perry of the Placentia Police department and he urged the community to call when you see an unfamiliar vehicle parked or driving around, people that are walking door-to-door or anything at all that looks out of the norm. He assured me that we aren't bothering them by doing this and he needs the communities help to catch the bad guys.
We will be hosting a community meeting, hopefully this week! Please check the Placentia Police Department's Facebook Page listed below for meeting details or I would be happy to keep you informed. My contact info is on my website: www.table-seven.com
Here are some helpful community links:
Media Coverage:
OC Register: "Cat Burglar Seems at Large in Placentia"
NBC News Channel 4: "Cat Burglar Puts Placentia Neighborhood on High Alert"
ABC News Channel 7: "Burglars Target Placentia Neighborhood"
Thank you so much for taking the time to read this!!! Cheers to 2014 and Be Safe!!!
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