There has been a jump from October into November, and the burglars are getting away with thousands.
Three burglaries were reported in El Lago and Taylor Lake Village last month, compared to just one in October. That's not a huge number, but these are not large communities. For police, what's happened over the past six months amounts to a crime wave.
El Lago and Taylor Lake Village are both established bayside communities unaccustomed to crime. That started to change about six months ago when burglaries began.
El Lago resident Bill Williams isn't too bothered.
"I have guns," he said.
In fact, a nine millimeter was stolen in one of a dozen break-ins. All told, more than $80,000 worth of jewelry was stolen, according to police.
"They were fairly specific about taking the jewelry," said Tim Duhr with the Lakeside Police Department. "There were some other items that normally would interest burglars that weren't taken, electronics and other items of value that normally we would see taken in a home burglary."
The break-ins happened during the day, with entries made through the backs of homes. Electronics were left behind in favor of jewelry and there's a theory why -- cash for gold.
"The price of precious metals is up right now and so that would be of interest to them," Duhr said. "It also tends to lead me to believe there's a link between all these cases."
The last break-in was reported a month ago. That's no guarantee against thefts picking up again.
But for Bill Williams and his guns...
"I'm not scared to use it," he said.
This story was brought to you through our partnership with Houston Community Newspapers. You can read more about the increase in burglaries in the Bay Area Citizen.
