Another reminder about open garage doors

My neighbor came home Friday night (around 6pm) and left his garage door open. His house was lit up and he was in his kitchen at the front of the house when he noticed a car park in front of the house next to his (that is for sale), facing the wrong direction. He went out to investigate, and came face to face with two intruders in his garage. They were young males with hooded sweatshirts pulled up over their heads.

The two guys ran in opposite directions, leaving their silver Toyota Highlander in front of the neighbors house.

My neighbor called the cops and reported the incident as well as the tag number for the Highlander. He does not think anything was taken (he caught them too soon) and did not press formal charges.

Believing that they were probably kids from the neighborhood, he baited them back by turning off all his lights and closing his garage. Not 10 minutes later, another car drove up, parked behind the Highlander, a kid jumped out and took off in the Highlander, before my neighbor was able to get back down the driveway to confront or get the tag number of the 2nd car.

I just wanted to warn everyone once again of the importance of keeping your garage closed. My neighbor has not heard one way or another what the police are doing with this information.

This happened in Ashburn Farm, but close enough to Broadlands that I thought it might be of interest. Or maybe it's just the Ashburn Farm youth that are getting themselves into trouble...

 

Keep the cars that are parked in your driveway or in front of your house locked, too. People will get in the cars to steal things an even use your garage door opener to get into your garage and, if your door is unlocked, your house.

 

Did you say that he did not press charges? Lesson learned by the kids? I don't think so!

 

Maybe he should have blocked their car in with his until the police came and took a formal report and Mommy and Daddy wondered why Junior was home without his nice SUV.

 

A few years ago one of my neighbors blocked an under aged teenagers car one time because he did not like how the teen was driving. The guy got into big trouble in doing so, not sure about all the details. Now this kid was actually in the car so maybe there is an difference between an occupied teen driving he car ands an unoccupied car.

It would be interesting to know what the law is on this.

Lee j

 

I have a hard time falling asleep due to PTSD. Sometimes late at night I will go out on my back porch and have a smoke. I have been seeing a few cars just sitting on the roads with their lights on. When I notice this I go out to the front porch, turn the lights on and smoke out front. The last two times I did this the cars drove away within a few minutes. Not sure if they were cars doing bad things or just getting ready to go somewhere for the night.

Visibility seems to work.

 

Pretty sure it is against the law to block a car when someone is in it. I think it is a form of wrongful entrapment (?)

 

In this case the car was left in the next door driveway of a house that was for sale. No one was in the car and the homeowner saw the kids run away. I think he would have had every right to block the car in until the police came.

Anyway, I don't think the kids learned anything from this.

 

Where did this occur?

 

fyi - don't know if this was the same area...


LOUDOUN COUNTY, Va. -- Loudoun County sheriff's deputies are investigating a string of vehicle break-ins that occurred over the weekend in the Ashburn area.

Thirteen vehicles were broken into between in the area of Rosetta Place and Merrywood Court. Deputies said CDs, a GPS unit, a camera and cash were stolen.

Several other vehicles in the area, including one on Arcadia Court and one on Olive Green Court, were rummaged through, but nothing was taken, deputies said.

GPS units were also taken from cars on Winding Brook Square and Blossom Hill Terrace on Saturday, according to investigators.

A wallet was taken from an unlocked car on Flora Springs Terrace on Sunday, deputies said.

Officials reminded drivers to lock their vehicles and remove valuables from them.

They advised residents to park in well-lit areas, use alarms or anti-theft devices and report suspicious activity to the sheriff's office.

Anyone with information is asked to contact authorities at 703-777-0475 or Loudoun Crime Solvers at 703-777-1919. A reward of up to $1,000 is being offered in the case.

 

I'm going to forward this to my neighbor-see if he'll follow up and make sure one hand of the LCSO is talking to the other. Or see if he still has the license plate number...

Our incident was in Ashburn Farm, off of Windmill (right under the Greenway from the Broadlands).

 

Reminds me of the early-morning speedster in a Mustang that I caught casing every side street and cul-de-sac in Southern Walk. He took off when I stopped at an intersection and just sat there watching him, and took out my cell phone. However he took up further into the neighborhood and got away before I could get a plate number. My wife called the LoCo sheriff, and they sent a car over but by then I guess it was too late.

For all I know it could have been the paper delivery guy. But I doubt it.