Break in -Bridgeport
 

Home in Village of Bridgeport at Lake Miona burglarized Wednesday
March 6, 2014 By Meta Minton 28 Comments
A burglary in the Village of Bridgeport at Lake Miona is under investigation by the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office.
The burglary occurred sometime Wednesday evening at a home on Hartford Path.
Jewelry was taken in the burglary, said Lt. Bobby Caruthers of the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office.
A rear door window was broken out to gain entry to the home.
The couple left the residence at 6:40 p.m. Wednesday and then returned at 6:55 p.m. to retrieve items. They left again and did not return until 9 p.m.
When they returned at the later time, they discovered the break-in.
The couple told deputies that when they had returned the first time, they had noticed a white four-door sedan in the neighborhood that looked out of place.
When neighbors were interviewed by deputies, some of them also noted seeing a white car they did not recognize in the neighborhood.

it is obvious the mode of operation is for the perps to pick a target and then watch the living pattern and strike when they know they have an opportunity.

TV home construction and TV lifestyles offer these cowards their opportunities.

During 2012 when we first arrived (June to be exact) I don't remember hearing of these things. It's like someone has shipped in some thieves to target homes in TV. Has the word gotten out that it's a prosperous retirement community that is easy to hit?
Or maybe the stars in my eyes blinded me to what the situation was then???

I have no proof, but I wonder if we just have better reporting now.

Also, it could be that once someone is successful at a break-in, it spurs others on.

I believe you are right on both counts. The Daily Sun doesn't report the break-ins so much. The reporting is coming from The Villages News.com.

Look out for anyone parked around your home and neighborhood that doesn't look like they belong there.


"A white four door sedan that looked out of place" was mentioned.


If you see something say something or call someone.


Or obviously stop and take a picture of their license.

With a population of over 100,000 people, the crime rate is very low in the Villages. Hopefully no one thought The Villages was free of crime? We are very lucky

OH OK, Let's see everytime I leave the house I drive around the block to see if anyone is watching the house. I now pay for a security system, I now keep a loaded gun in the house. I guess I'm Just a lucky guy in the villages.

Paranoia..........................

No, just a survivor.

I think it is a matter of time before one of these break-ins ends violently.

Maybe not. We just returned from a two week cruise on a Sunday night, Monday both of us left the house at 2pm and returned about two hours later and discovered the robbery. Don't think there was much planning, just a case of coincidence meeting opportunity.

Bogie, sometimes you are just hysterically funny!

I guess it takes having experienced personally being violated, for yourself or a family member to understand why someone would feel it is important to them to have some level of security to monitor or protect themselves in their home.

I wouldn't call that Paranoia at all. I would call that Wise, especially at the rate of these regular Break-ins within The Villages and the occasional attack of individuals at public business areas outside the Villages.

Just my opinion and thoughts. We all don't have to agree, that's a good quality.

:) :) :)

Driving around the block and returning sure sounds like paranoia but whatever floats your boat, I guess.

Remember, though, if you keep a loaded gun in the house, it will be stolen if your home is burgeled.

I think the monitored security system is smart.

Chances are that you will not be at home at the time of a break-in. That gun does you no good at all in that case, does it? Just gives the robber a gun.

It is understandable that as the population in the tri-county increases it will increase with all types of people good and bad.

What concerns me is the boldness of many of these crimes.

There is a controversy taking a collision course here. People understand The Villages has no formal police force and can never have one. Where does this leave lady Lake police , Sumter Lake and Marion County sheriffs, etc.
How do the county commissioners view protect and serve their towns vis a vis The Villages? Is Community Watch being used effectively? What is the efficacy of Community Watch?

Are residents of The Villages targeted any more than other homes in other communities?

The gates are they creating a false positives obstructing their efficacy ?

These are growing pangs for The Villages and you wonder if leadership is taking notice or are they too busy talking about the renovation of rec centers?

The loaded gun was the trigger.............................

As you know we cannot have a cop on every corner or a patrol car passing our house every fifteen minutes. That being said I think that all the policing units you mention are doing a helluva job catching these bad guys!

samhass: prescience

Good point I hear people comparing the Villages to Chicago and Washington DC all the time.

Better to keep the loaded gun on your hip…..unless your sleeping :-)

and were these people wearing tin foil hats and able to walk a straight line?
Chicago? Washington DC?:a20::1rotfl:

///

Drama

Not all true. It seems they are after jewelry and I have not heard anyone mention a weapon being stolen. Maybe they are checking these post to see whom is against guns and whom is not. Then bang they go steal jewelry knowing they will not be shot.

NO one is going to out do Chicago for killings. Comparing TV to Chicago is ridiculous.

Actually; Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, South Carolina and Tennessee all have higher homicide rates than Illinois .
And Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Pennsylvania are close behind.

Murder Rates Nationally and By State | Death Penalty Information Center


.

Chicago May be in IL but IL hardly has the same murder rate.

Illinois population is around 12.8 Mil

Chicago metro is around 9.5 Mil



.

The point of the poster was the comparison of cities not states. I understand statistics

What is the homicide rate in Chicago compared to TV by whatever method you choose!

People who break into homes are looking for items they can turn into quick cash. Install an alarm system like SimpleSafe that is not very expensive and it totally wireless and monitored. Protect your self and exercise your second amendment rights... own and learn how to use a gun. It could save your life.

Agreed

Sadly this place is no better than any other small town. It seems a lot of people bought into the idea of this being free of all bad. There are thieves, sex offenders, drug addicts and drunks. The best you can do is be aware of your surroundings and take the necessary precautions to afford yourself a safe environment. I do think the paper does all of us an injustice in not printing what REALLY is going on in the area. We continue to grow. With that growth will come many more problems.

I for one, would love to see the" keystone cops" at the gates, go the way of the winds, and that includes the gates themselves.

I suggest that they monies that are used to pay those salaries, the monies used for the maintenance, and any other money used for gate purposes, be channeled into having off duty cops in unmarked cars patrolling at the peak hours when break-ins occur. I am not aware of the cameras ever having served a purpose (my awareness is from heresay).

The days and times would be sporatic so the "bad guys" would never know when or where.

I have some other thoughts but for the time being, those of you who read these posts can digest this one.

Once I get my smart phone I will turn from being a nosey neighbor to a neighborhood watch person!
If I see a strange car or person I WILL take your picture!

the positive I see in these violations is that they are mostly timed for or to locations where the resident is away.

When they enter a home with known occupants is a whole different type invader!!

I was replying to the gpirate post that said "NO one is going to out do Chicago for killings." Had nada to do with TV.

Statistically, Illinois is Chicago.
.

There is definitely one known instance where the cameras caught the thieves. This was a few years ago -- a snowbird's home was emptied of all of its contents in, I believe, Sunset Pointe. A camera caught a truck entering the village with empty back. It left filled to the brims. Apparently, it was very easy for the sheriff to track down the thieves and recover almost all items.

As to the "keystone cops," I will admit that I'm not a fan of Neighborhood Watch. It seems they rarely do what we think of as their job -- patrolling neighborhoods, noticing things out of the ordinary, telling folks their garage door is open after 10:00 pm, but I imagine they are a minor deterrent for criminals.

As to the gates, I would prefer they stay since they do help slow down traffic and at least give golf carts a chance to cross streets. Also, I love the gate keepers. More than once I've stopped and gotten directions from them, especially in new areas. I almost always have a map on me but I seem to forget my glasses more often than not.

I've lived here over eight years and travel from one end of TV to the other weekly. This has been the case since my first six months here. There has never been a year where I didn't hear of a burglary or some other felonious crime (I'm not counting DUIs, etc.). It seems as if more of these types of crimes occur during the winter months.

The cops will either catch these thieves or they'll move on to another venue. Depends how professional they are. The smart ones only hit an area for a certain amount of time and then go on to a new area.

TV is not perfect but it is very, very good.

I agree Red. Well said.