US/NC/Durham/neighborhoods/Pinecrest Road/crime

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Crime Watch

2007

• 2007-08-08
  • #122: Our locked Dodge minivan was broken into. The passenger-side window (facing away from the house) was wedged open, apparently wide enough for the thief to somehow open the lock (all the other doors were still locked). The CD/radio was stolen (3rd in-dash unit we've had stolen in the last 2-3 years) as well as (we think) a cell phone charger. They also left the Benz door ajar, but I don't see any evidence of pilfering (not that there was anything left worth taking). The locked Nissan – whose stolen CD/radio I haven't yet replaced – was left alone. All cars parked in driveway. We filed a police report; this was assigned incident report #07-026551. (The cars were unlocked for all the previous incidents, which was the main reason we didn't file anything – but the officer said go ahead and report even minor stuff, as they might be able to get fingerprints.)
  • #115: "We had one unlocked car broken into last night as well. Nothing of value was inside but stuff was strewn around and a gym bag was taken and left several houses away by the side of the road. Car was in the driveway behind our house. Locked van was not broken into. All I can say about timeframe is that it was between 10:30 and 5:00 a.m."
• 2007-07-17 - #122: The locked glove box in my Benz was pilfered, for the zillionth time, between the evening of July 13 (when I was last in the car and didn't notice anything amiss) and this morning -- only this time I had been keeping it locked to prevent the pilfering, so the thief actually broke the latch (and the paneling) to get into it. Nothing missing as far as I can tell. The only reason I noticed anything was that the passenger-side door wasn't quite closed. (The door locks don't work, otherwise I would have been keeping the vehicle locked.)
• 2007-01-08 - #146: "We apparently had a decorative flower pot that was sitting atop the stone wall at the end of our driveway taken sometime over the weekend." (weekend = 6th and 7th, so could have been the same visit as the chimenea theft on 01-06)
• 2007-01-06 - #129, #130: #129 had a chimenea (patio fireplace) stolen from the driveway, probably between 6 pm and 11:30 pm. "We have a light in the driveway with a motion sensor so they took it with the help of our driveway light. A chimenea is heavy so there must have been at least 2 people and a truck." Also, the same night someone rummaged through the car (and its glovebox) at #130. Someone also rifled through the glove compartments of the cars at #137, sometime after 1:45 (presumably a.m. the morning of the 7th), though apparently nothing was taken. (On checking the evening of the 7th at 17:55, the Nissan's glove box (#122) had once again been gone through. The Benz, in the driveway, had also been gone through -- the glovebox was locked, but stuff from the center tray was in the driver's seat. We fortunately had remembered to lock the minivan that night, so it was left alone. This all fits the "loose change" scenario except for the chimenea theft.)

2006

• 2006-11-17 - #122 & elsewhere (see 2006-11-17 vandalism): 2 car tail-lights smashed with pumpkins
• sometime earlier this year, the same Nissan as above (parked in the driveway at the time) was broken into and the CD/radio stolen. Glove compartment was dumped out on the seat but nothing else seemed to be missing. The glove compartment of the Benz (which was then parked in the street) was also dumped out on the seat, also nothing apparently missing. (Need to check my email for date.) --Woozle 11:09, 17 November 2006 (EST)
• 2006-11-07? - #137 - The mailbox at 137 Pinecrest (Donderos) was smashed by a car that left part of a bumper/grille in the yard.
• 2006-11-?? - #138 - The house number post for 138 was pulled up.
• 2006-10-31 - #139 - Someone ran down the mailbox at 139 Pinecrest.

2005

• 2005-07-08 - #138 "Last Friday night someone opened the DeVille parked in our driveway and rummaged through the glove compartment. Whoever it was had no luck, because after losing a cell phone in this manner several years ago we don't keep anything worth stealing in our cars overnight. We also have the car secured by a steering wheel club.

"We notified the area police, who were not particularly interested, because nothing was stolen. The would-be thief, who had very dirty hands, left an almost perfect red fingerprint on a piece of paper, which we handed over to the detective, but I doubt anyone will bother trying to identify the perpetrator."

• 2 other residents reported similar incidents:
  • "I have had comparable experiences with my car when I have left it unlocked. He or she has taken my parking change out of the ashtray. I am not sure, but sometimes I think he or she lets a little air out of my tires just for the fun he gets out of it."
  • "the police caught someone in my car late at night....they had to swerve to miss the bicylcle the thief had left lying in the middle of the road. They caught him in the back seat of my car picking up my laptop. He said he was looking for change to use at the laundrymat (at 2 AM)! The police said lots of would-be thieves ride around on bikes at night -- less likely to be seen or heard."
• 2005-07-03 - 07-10 - #122: Someone got into my unlocked Nissan Maxima and emptied the glove box contents onto the seat. Nothing was taken, but the door was left just slightly open which caused the battery to drain (judging from the extent of the drainage, it had been that way for at least 2-3 days when I found it on 7/10). Didn't notice any handprints. My theory is that the burglar was looking specifically for loose change. --Woozle 17:59, 28 Jul 2005 (EDT)