Regional Burglary Spree Hits Oxford

A rash of burglaries that has plagued local communities has finally hit Oxford.

The Oxford Resident Trooper's Office has taken reports since Dec. 8 of burglaries from two separate detached buildings on residential property.

The first occurred sometime between 11:30 p.m. on Dec. 7 and 6:30 a.m. the next morning in a detached garage on Ancient Highway - the homeowner reports a radio controlled car and a BMX bicycle were stolen. The homeowner reports the radio controlled car was worth $500 and the bike was valued at $2,300.

And on Wednesday, a resident on Newgate Road who cuts down trees reported that two of his STIHL chainsaws were stolen from an unlocked shed on his property sometime between Dec. 14 and Wednesday. One chainsaw was worth $360 and another was worth $380, the homeowner reported to police.

Oxford Resident Trooper Sgt. Dan Semosky said other neighboring communities such as Seymour  - the Valley Independent Sentinel reports there have been at least 10 homes broken into, some in broad daylight, in the past three months - as well as Monroe and Newtown have seen burglaries recently. But Oxford residents had not fallen victim to thieves in this latest burglary spree until the past two weeks.

"We knew it was only a matter of time before we had issues," Semosky said.

He said police are looking into whether the incidents are related and are looking for common themes in the burglaries. One theme that is common in many burglaries is that the properties broken into oftentimes have unlocked doors.

Semosky said police encourage people to be vigilant about locking their doors.

Anyone with information about the two reported Oxford burglaries can call Corporal Jim Burr at (203) 888.4353.

Oxford typically does not have an overwhelming number of break-ins, but they are not uncommon here. Other stories about break ins in Oxford recently can be found at these links: