Burglaries have Baltimore residents, business on guard - Things That Affect YOU - Ohioans for Responsible Rural Development

Lancaster Eagle-Gazette
Published February 4, 2012

By Carl Burnett Jr.

BALTIMORE --A series of burglaries Sunday and Monday nights in Baltimore has authorities asking residents to keep an eye out for unusual activity.

"We've had five residential burglaries and one business broken into," Baltimore police chief Michael Tussey said. "It's pretty unusual for us to have a string of burglaries like this."

The burglaries happened between 1 and 4 a.m. during the early hours of Monday and Tuesday.

"The similarities in the crimes indicate that we are probably looking for the same individuals doing them," Tussey said.

Darren Stoughton, of The Apple of Your Eye on North Romulus Street, said the thieves got in through a window.

"They broke a small window and then stole some change and small scented candles," Stoughton said. "They were very neat thieves. They carefully took the items off the window sill when they broke. We were pretty lucky."

The burglars are looking into homes through windows and spotting purses or wallets laying out in plain sight, Tussey said.

"Then they are popping the doors or windows and entering the residences and stealing the purses," Tussey said. "They are taking cash, credit cards and gift cards."

Tussey said the suspects aren't taking other items.

"In one burglary, a wallet was taken that had been laid on top of computer, and the computer wasn't stolen," Tussey said.

No one so far has been hurt in the burglaries.

"We've been lucky so far, but there have been people in the residences when they were broken into," Tussey said.

Some of the stolen items already have turned up in Lancaster.

The burglaries so far have been concentrated on the east side of Baltimore.

Read the full story on the Lancaster Eagle-Gazette website.