Burglary at Miona Shores
 

This thread is not meant to cause panic but to educate.

Early this morning between 1:15 and 4:00 AM, there was a break-in at a home in Miona Shores. The residents were sleeping. Items of value were taken.

Of course, the sheriff's office was notified and they are checking the gate cameras.

The fact remains that The Villages is probably one of the safest communities to live in an area of over 100,000 residents. However, we must remain vigilant.

That is indeed bad news. Several posters live there, can you fill us in?

I would need to know more as well simply because it is on a different level of concern when burglars are prepared to break and enter with the resient at home. It suggests they are prepared to deal with who ever or what ever they come across.

How could someone sleep through a break in?
How did they get in?
Were they in the home owners bedroom?

While still only an isolated incident it is of more concern.

Even though we have a dog and a loaded gun "handy", it is an encounter to be avoided if at all possible.

When we lived in NJ, our house was broken into while we slept. They took the glass out of a door and opened it to gain access. I'm grateful we never heard them. If we had and gone downstairs, I'm sure they would have harmed us. It is easy to replace things, not people. Needless to say, we did feel violated and it took a very long time before I was able to sleep through the night and feel comfortable in our home.

If the occupants were home, wouldn't it technically be a home invasion under Florida Statute?

Statutes & Constitution :View Statutes : Online Sunshine

I found this article while searching the internet for a description of the difference between burglary and home invasion.

Burglary and Home Invasions in Florida | Criminal Law

Friends who live there say it is on a corner interior lot and not real near the entrance. All the houses on that street Miona Shores Drive face the street and back to other homes. Which I always thought made interior lots a tad safer.


Come on Mr. Sheriff. Get these varmints. I am guessing that someone has exterior cameras around there.

This is a serious escalation, and a different MO from the mid-day breaking and entering that's happened several times in Sanibel, Collier and elsewhere.

It also implies, that in the absence of successful arrests (hopefully soon) by the Sumter County Sheriff, the level of criminal boldness is likely to continue to grow.

If the doors are locked, I do not see how it is possible (in a one level house) to break in with no noise. I would like to know more details before completely believing this one. Possible but seems unlikely at this point. Just posting my opinion.

Not when there are hearing issues. Just saying.

Back door was unlocked.

http://www.*******************/sheri...ges-break-ins/

A current article about the burglaries in The Villages on-line news says there have been seven in the last 60 days. The back door of the house in Bridgeport was unlocked and the screen was cut, according to the article. It's unclear if the owner left the door unlocked, or if the perpetrator unlocked it. The article also says the owners have two small dogs who apparently slept through the whole thing.

Very alarming.


Here's Meta's report.


Sheriff’s office investigating rash of burglaries in The Villages

January 3, 2014 By Meta Minton 2 Comments
The Sumter County Sheriff’s Office is investigating seven burglaries which have taken place in the past 60 days in The Villages.
Of the seven burglaries, four included forced entry by kicking in the front door, two gained entry through forcing open a sliding glass door and the final burglary was to an automobile, according to the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office.
Villages Homeowners Association Director at Large Irv Markely, a resident of the Village of Bridgeport at Miona Shores, said there was a break-in in his Village just this morning.
He said the break-in occurred between 1:30 and 4:30 a.m., while the homeowners were present.
He said a back screen had been cut and the back door had been unlocked.
“They have two little dogs, too,” Markley said.
He tries to keep his neighbors aware of such incidents and sent out an email blast to his neighborhood encouraging vigilance.
Lt. Nehemiah Wolfe urges Villagers to take advantage of the sheriff’s free home inspection program. Through it, a member of the sheriff’s office will visit a home and provide tips on securing the home. You can schedule an appointment by calling 689-4600.
He added that neighbors looking out for neighbors is also effective.

That is pretty brazen to break in while people are sleeping.
I am putting in an alarm.
It's getting scary!

This is so alarming! Might there be a common denominator among those who were burglarized? For example, builder, subcontractors, service providers, social circles?

I put in a wireless alarm on every door and window that can sound off in the house or go to a central station for 15.00 per month. Works great and gave me piece of mind, also has key fobs to turn on and off. 400 dollar investment.

Here is what I think, if you are leaving together and you see lawn people near your home. WAIT.


Our friends who live on the coast in a truly gated community had a rash of daytime burglaries and it was traced a man working for a lawn service phoning a friend when he saw both people leave their home.

I thought when you entered a village your picture was taken at the gate. If this was true how hard would it be to figure out who was there, at those hours.

What I know.... and what I think....
 

I have been in here posting about this for awhile.

What I know for sure.... is this didn't just start. It's just now getting attention. I have posted that my husband has had to go to court for another issue about once a month. He has been seeing the people who have come before the judge every month. Not just one... but many. Can it only be, they are all being tried on the same day of the month he is in court?

I know there is more than one person doing this. Every time my husband is at the courthouse there are probably three to five people appearing before the judge for theft in The Villages. Those are the people they have caught.

I mention this because I fear that people will think if they catch someone... They have caught "the one".

Now... What I think....

I think that because this has not been reported people have a false sense of security and we are easy pickens. I think there aren't as many people on TOTV as people would like to think. I think that everyone who reads this needs to send an email out to everyone they know in The Villages, so there will be enough people watching... The paper boy will have a hard time getting through the neighborhood. Once everyone knows that we are aware of what's going on, and are vigilant about stopping people, asking questions, and calling the police... They will realize that it's just not safe for them here.

Maybe it would be hard because there is no telling what time the perpetrator's car entered the gate, no photo of the vehicle leaving and no one knowing what vehicle the perpetrator used? Does that village gate even have a camera?

My opinion...
 

At the risk of being thrown under the bus....like I was the other night, I want to thank OscarO, LadyLaw, CarGuys and others for enlightening us, educating us, clueing us in, etc. for what is going on in our community.

Like Oscar said, our community is one of the safest. However, we are growing.

I have learned a lot the past few days about what I should do for prevention of crime. I worked in healthcare for many years and I believe in preventative care. The same can be said to prevent crime.

Thank you to those who "woke me up".

I hope the info given can prevent at least one crime, one break-in, one burglary.

Gratefully,
Karen

I wonder how many folks leave at least one outside window or door unlocked at night?

My guess is the number is shockingly high. Even after some years of living here, this place creates a kind of euphoria which contributes to folks feeling a little safer than they are. I'm NOT suggesting we are not safe here. The opposite is true, but there is that constant idea of REALITY which should enter our thinking and give us a bit more caution than many of us seem to have. When we love it here and pinch ourselves because we're not sure how we could have been fortunate to have such a good retirement strategy, we leave ourselves more open and possible vulnerable.

I think the solution is to talk about this more often. We need to share more info about solid, affordable security plans, devices, etc. And we need to talk with our neighbors about plans for directly watching over each other.

I always assumed my dogs would be an excellent deterrent to anyone contemplating a break-in. The two dogs in Miona Shores slept through the robbery. And apparently the criminals moved the doggie door containing the dogs, and they were roaming through the house. I guess I better rethink my barking security system.

Yes!
 

Gotta lighten this up a bit. Where is the LIKE button....or the AGREE button???

Miona Shores is adjacent to another community and a public park. Someone could park in either area and walk in, avoiding the cameras.

Even if there are non cameras at the gates.....how about signs "SMILE...your on closed circuit video!"
:spoken:

ANYONE can gain access to the streets in many/most villages without going through a gate....not driving....golf cart....walk in.

If one had a forum like TOTV in their previous home location and every break in or crime incidence in that location were put on the forum how would it compare?

We are a population of 100,000 plus with many, many, MANY more outside service providers than in a non retirement neighborhood. Plenty of action for opportunists. And as much as we don't like to hear it, some think the elderly are easy pickings.

I think it is unfortunate that some feel the TV is more secure because it is "gated". The "gates" provide traffic control....of sorts?!! TV is not a gated community. It is open to anybody that wants to come down our streets, anytime they want.

We have less crime than most communities our size.
Our streets are safer than most communities our size.
Our homes are easier to get into than those in most communities our size.
Security is a function of one's lifestyle and or not a function of one's lifestyle.

One can take steps/actions to minimize or avoid being/becoming a victim....it does not come from anybody else.

Even if there are no cameras at the gates.....how about signs "SMILE...your on closed circuit video!"
:spoken:

That isn't encouraging. I was counting on the same. Yowzer.

Grace, Miona Shores has only one entrance/exit and is bordered with high walls and Lake Miona. One could jump the wall, but it might be difficult to escape with a large TV and other items that were taken.

This robbery that occured while the owners were sleeping has really alarmed me and we will be installing an alarm system....along with the security system we already have.

These low lifes better think twice about breaking into someone's home while the owners are sleeping. They just might find someone who wakes easily with a loaded weapon at their side.

Where did you read about the doggie door being moved?

I'll make this short. I sure wish many years ago, I would have read the advice given on OscarO's threads.

Has it been released as to what items were stolen from the home?

I can understand the above message about someone with a loaded weapon at their side - however, please remember a few things. As one of our former posters, Figmo, used to say - shooting under a stressful situation can bring about bad results and it is very possible the person shot will not be a burglar but a family member. Secondly, it has been known to happen that a burglar has taken a loaded gun from the homeowner and shot the homeowner.

After completing a government school in surreptitious entry I went home and showed my wife that I could pick the lock on our front door in under five seconds. She looked at me with icy blue eyes and asked, "Now, what are you going to do about it?"

I installed an alarm that would wake us if any door or window was opened.

Lock picking by burglars is uncommon. Forcibly defeating the lock is more common. A large screwdriver is all that is needed to force open the average front door. It is not necessarily noisy. Frequently this is all that is needed to force open a sliding glass door.

While we were on vacation an attempt was made to burglarize our house through the back (sliding glass) door. The screen was cut and opened but the door could not be opened because I had installed a metal bar that prevented the door from being opened even if the lock was defeated. Usually these bars can be defeated but I had modified mine to make that more difficult.

Our next door neighbor was burglarized while they slept. One pane was silently removed from a window, the window unlocked and opened and the house entered. They had a dog, but characteristic of the breed, the Beagle was friendly.

Day time burglaries are more common than night time burglaries because at night the residents can be expected to be home. The prospective burglar rings the door bell. If someone comes to the door the burglar offers to provide some kind of service and then moves on. If no one comes to the door it only takes a moment to kick it in.

A friend in Tampa who is a retired deputy sheriff had a sophisticated camera system installed in his house. It records anyone who enters his yard. A year ago his house was burglarized. The burglar damaged the house and stole several items but failed to remove the DVD with his picture on it. The picture was turned over to the Sheriff's Office. Through diligent investigation of his own the retired deputy identified the burglar and gave the information to the Sheriff's Office and an arrest was made. The trial was scheduled for early January. Even with a plea deal the burglar will be spending several years in prison.

An earlier poster pointed out that the local Sheriff's Office offers a free security analysis of your house. This is probably offered by all three SOs that patrol The Villages. It might be a good idea for you to have the survey done.

I have a well trained roommate and I think there are many Vets in The Villages who are trained also. Rolling over and playing dead won't solve the problem..

Yes!
 

Where is that "LIKE" or "AGREE" button?

My posting was to give a caution about guns and not to argue. Being a veteran does not make a person a trained gun handler. Most of the vets here have been out of the service from 20 to 40 years and have either just done game hunting or target shooting and have not been trained recently in shooting under stressful situations.

Best idea, in my opinion, is to get a monitored alarm system.

Would that burglar (?) at Miona Shores have stayed in the house at the wee morning hours if a 110db siren was sounding inside and outside the home as soon as the door or a window was opened?

have to say that the alarm service may be picking up some new customers

I wonder what the police response time would be following an alarm going off. TV covers a large amount of square miles. Anyone on TOTV had any Experence?

Could it be that the perps had cased the neighborhood (and the house) before they did their deed???

Years ago (in the 60's) we lived in the country (rural) in a rented home. Our house had a near break-in during the night while we were asleep. The doors/windows were locked and the perp(s) tried to pry a window with a broom or some other device which slipped and broke the window which woke us up. They didn't get in but scared the devil out of us for a good while. We called law enforcement but no one was ever caught. Not sure what these folks were looking for as we were quite poor at the time and didn't have any valuables.

While these break-ins are troubling we can only take measures to "try" to keep safe and most of us know what to do. We do live in about as safe of a community as any in the U.S. I think truth be told, "IF" we knew the half of what happens on a daily basis in this country we'd be doing more than speculation on a social media site. Let's all take the necessary measures, help one another in our neighborhoods as possible by being vigilent and reporting any weird things we might be observing to law enforcement people.

I agree! I want to know if there are crimes being committed in my community. I don't like being a "mushroom".