From Decatur Police…

On 06/19/15 at 2:40 pm, Decatur Police responded to a previous burglary in the 200 block of East Davis Street. The victim stated the house was left unsecured at approximately 9:00 am and his son had just returned home and noticed that items were missing from the house. Officers located a rear bedroom window that had been pried open. A desktop computer, laptop computer, television and game system were taken.

On 06/19/15 at 6:11 pm, Decatur Police responded to a previous burglary in the 200 block of East Davis Street. The victim stated his house was left secured at 9:30 am and he just returned to find items missing in the home. The suspect made entry through a rear bathroom window that was closed but it is uncertain if the window was unlocked or the suspect was able to circumvent the lock without causing damage. A desktop computer, two televisions and two game systems were taken.

On 6/20/15, at 1:34 am, Decatur Police responded to a burglary in progress in the 200 block of Ridley Lane. The victims stated they were in a downstairs bedroom and heard noises inside of the house. Upon exiting the bedroom, one of the victims encountered three suspects and yelled which startled the suspects causing them to scream and flail their arms as they started to run, pushing past the victim. The victim was hit on her chin as the suspects fled which caused a small bruise. All three suspects climbed out a rear window and fled the scene in an unknown direction. Officers observed the rear window had been forced open and recovered a crowbar from the scene. A small television, jewelry, eyeglasses, cash and cell phone were taken. Officers further recovered used disposable gloves at the scene.

The suspects were described as follows:

Suspect #1: black male, mid-late teens, muscular build, average height, short black hair, wearing a camouflage shirt and carrying a backpack.

Suspect #2: white male, mid-late teens, slim build and average height.

Suspect #3: white female, mid-late teens, slim build and average height.

The summer months can sometimes bring an uptick in burglaries. To make things more difficult for burglary suspects lock all doors and windows that can be reached from the outside even if you are only leaving your home for a short period of time and know that rear doors and windows are often targeted so the suspect cannot be easily seen by neighbors or someone passing by. Also, there are ways to reinforce your doors and windows that make your home a less desirable target and some of these can be DIY projects. If you have a burglar alarm, get into the habit of using it every time you leave. The alarm sounding shortens the duration of time a burglar will spend going through your house and can alert neighbors that something is wrong. Using the alarm at night can alert you that someone is trying to get into your home so you can call 911 immediately and may also scare suspects away.
If you have a few minutes to watch the following video, it gives great visuals on things you can do make your home a less desirable target. Burglary in Decatur: Make it Harder for the Bad Guys