The Guilford County Sheriff’s Department reported on Wednesday, Sept. 23, that there’s been a rash of residential burglaries in the rural southeastern section of the county.
The public announcement was made largely as the result of house thefts and related crimes that occurred on Monday, Sept. 21 and Tuesday, Sept. 22.
On those days, multiple residences were broken into during daytime hours.
Some of the hotspots in the string of burglaries were on, and in the areas of, Alamance Church Road, Coble Church Road and Ledford Road.
The Sheriff’s Department hasn’t been able to hunt down the culprits yet and it’s now seeking out anybody who thinks they may have seen some suspicious activity in the area and is also looking for homeowners or others who have exterior home or business security cameras that may have recorded any suspicious people or vehicles along the roads.
One good thing about a pandemic when it comes to burglary is that family members are often at home more, but one bad thing, apparently, is that criminals have a lot of time on their hands – and, of course, they can wear masks all day long without getting a second glance.
Anyone with any information concerning these incidents is being asked to contact the Sheriff’s Department at 336-641-2680 or Crime Stoppers at 336-373-1000. Calling that second line could possibly get you a financial reward if your information leads to the capture and arrest of suspects.
The Sheriff’s Department, along with a lot of help from their law enforcement friends in a neighboring county, did have a recent success in its war on theft in Guilford County.
Sheriff’s officers had been after a suspected robber in mid-September and, this week, they captured Carl Watson, the suspect being sought in connection with two thefts from motor vehicles in Stokesdale.
Watson is now in custody after to a traffic stop conducted by Rockingham County Sheriff’s Office deputies and he’s being held on a $75,000 bond.
I pray the sheriff’s are safe and that we don’t have another Hendersonville with these break-ins
Any neighborhood is a target. On my sleepy street in Guilford College, there have been four burglaries in recent years. All were amateurs, and all were caught. A bugerglar with any sense will try to enter when no one is home. Since many homeowners are armed, it is suicide to break in when they are home. Casing a house requires watching it, and knocking on doors to see if anyone answers. Burglars will then break in a rear entrance, while a lookout is stationed elsewhere.