Rash of Home Burglaries Reported in Lexington

Reports of car-breaks came in by the dozen earlier this spring in Lexington, but alleged thieves, it seems, moved beyond the diveways and have begun hitting houses.

In recent weeks, the t has received several reports of home burglaries and attempted house-breaks. This week, a Fletcher Road resident lost a jewelry box after someone allegedly burglarized her home and a Crawford Road woman called police after a carpenter repaired a back door that he thought someone tried to break through.

Lt. Jim Barry, a spokesman for LPD, confirmed a recent increase in breaking-and-enterings to Lexington residences, as well as potential scams involving persons posing as paving companies. The apparent increase could be seasonal, he said.

“There’s always a lull in the winter, as with everything else,” Barry said Friday morning. “Perps don’t like to be out in the cold, like the rest of us. “

On Monday, May 2, police received a report of an attempted breaking-and-entering on Crawford Road, where a woman said she heard someone banging on a door at 10 p.m. the previous Saturday, and noticed damage to the door but saw no one there.

The next day, the woman reportedly called a carpenter to fix the door and he suggested to call the police after she explained to him what she saw and heard. By the time she called police, the door had been repaired, according to Barry.

Also on May 2, police received a report of an attempted breaking-and-entering and possible gypsy activity on Hancock Street, where a resident said an unknown white man rang her doorbell and was attempting to gain entry. When she confronted him, the man allegedly offered to pave her driveway with some extra asphalt he had leftover from a job in the neighborhood, the police report said.

“The driveway paving scam is what we’re thinking,” Barry said of the incident. “A common driveway scam is when they’ll say they’ll sealcoat it and to stay off of it for the day so it dries, but it never dries because they used motor oil or some material like that.”

Both incidents are under investigation. As is a May 4 report of a home burglary, in which a Fletcher Avenue resident reportedly lost a jewelry box filled containing a pearl necklace, earrings and costume jewelry after her front door was kicked in during the daytime.

“It’s not uncommon for a rash of these things to happen, or for a particular criminal to stay in an area for a period of time,” said Barry. “We’re not saying that’s happening in this case, but we will look for patterns to see if there are similarities.”

In the case of home burglaries, thieves often look for small, portable items, according to Barry, who noted jewelry, iPods and laptops.

With the car-breaks that occurred across Lexington last month, locking doors appeared to have been an effective deterrent. However, with the breaking-and-enterings to houses, alleged thieves have been breaking in through – or breaking down – doors to gain access.

“Be observant for people or vehicles parked out of place for a neighborhood at night,” said Barry. “We’re seeing things happening in the 10 p.m. timeframe, so if you see someone walking in the neighborhood or a car that’s normally parked there, give us a call and we’ll come check it out.”

In addition to calls this week, police have responded to several other reported home burglaries in recent weeks.

On Friday, April 29, a large quantity of jewelry and electronic devices were reportedly taken from a home on Hancock Avenue where a person or persons allegedly gained access through a rear door.

On Sunday, April 10, police investigated a report of a home burglary on Normandy Road in which a resident alleged someone entered through an unlocked door the previous night and stole flatware.

And on Sunday, April 17, police responded to Slocum Road for a reported breaking-and-entering in which a person or persons allegedly appeared to have shouldered through a rear door and stole $500 to $1,000 worth of sterling silverware.

Anyone with information about suspicious persons, home burglaries or possible criminal activity should call the Lexington Police's general informaiton line at 781-862-1212.