LaPorte County Sheriff Mike Mollenhauer is warning the public of an increase in home burglaries in LaPorte County and is asking residents to keep watch in their neighborhoods.
Since Dec. 1, eight daytime residential burglaries have occurred, most in the northern half of LaPorte County, according to the sheriff’s office. On Monday, Dec. 14, four burglaries occurred between 10 a.m. and 12:39 p.m. In each case, entry was gained by forcing open a front door. Two of those burglaries occurred in the 3200 north block of Briar Leaf Court. Several neighbors reporting seeing two black males in a black sedan or Buick Road Master with a temporary license plate. The two were seen in the driveway of a victim’s home and were last seen driving from the area.
At 12:39 p.m. on Dec. 14, the Springfield Township Fire Department and sheriff’s deputies were summoned to a house fire in the 3200 west block of County Road 510 North. Investigators learned that the home had been burglarized, then the fire was started. The home sustained damage.
In all the burglaries, electronics such as flat-screen televisions, game systems and computers are targeted. Also, money, jewelry and guns were taken from some residences.
Mollenhauer asks residents to report suspicious activity within their neighborhoods. “The sheriff’s office has a number of investigators pursuing leads in these cases,” he said. “In addition, a number of marked and unmarked vehicles are canvassing our communities and neighborhoods in an effort to locate and identify potential suspects. We are also working closely with area law enforcement agencies who are investigating similar offenses.”
