Police believe Rash of Crimes are
Connected
by Larry Griffin; Odessa American;
9/25/1999
| A smooth burglar who may have struck as many as 11 homes in the
last five weeks has Odessa police at a loss. "We have no suspect at all," Criminal Investigations Bureau Capt. Don Orren said. "We've compared prints with the Automatic Fingerprint Identification system (AFIS), but nothing has been kicked out yet." Orren said investigators are certain seven of the burglaries were committed by the same person or group of people. The burglaries have occurred between 1 and 5 A.M. at houses between Beechwood Street and University Boulevard and from Cumberland Avenue east to French Avenue, Orren said. Burglaries usually don't occur when people are at home but these crimes were committed while the residents were asleep in their homes, Orren said. The suspect has been interrupted and left items he wanted stacked near an exit, Orren said. "We have no indication that the burglar or burglars wanted to confront the homeowner" Orren said. "But you never can tell when someone's going to wake up to get a drink of water. We have to worry about the state of mind of the individual".
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The loot ranges from an iron to cash and credit cards from wallets and purses
to televisions, cellular phones and VCRs. Several rifles, a handgun, microwaves and an expensive bicycle also have been reported stolen. Police believe the burglar enters his target through the garage, often rummaging through vehicles parked inside or in the driveway for anything of value first. "We have a pretty slick burglar or burglars," Orren continued. "He's very quiet, and very sneaky." Orren asked anyone who sees a suspicious person to call police and a patrol unit will be dispatched. "The old adage, 'We won't bother the police with that, it's probably nothing." is not true." Orren said, "No matter how innocent the person looks, they need to call." Orren advised Odessans to "batten down the hatches and lock up."
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To contact Odessa Police with information about these burglaries, call 333-3641.
This article was published in the Odessa American
9/25/1999
and is duplicated here to assist you to protect your property.
Now is a good time to create a NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH PROGRAM
on your street.