robbery in Tall Trees
 

We just got an email from our HOA person that yesterday, there was a break in in Tall Trees. According to him, someone left their garage door open to dry off their car after getting love bugs off. A car pulled up, a woman jumped out, and stole some golf clubs. They got a description of the woman and the car but they got away. I guess I will have to be more careful about leaving our garage door open.

Another crime of opportunity. I don't understand why people leave there garage door up, it's an entrance to your house.

That sounds weird. If a woman wanted to steal golf clubs, why wouldn't she just go to any parking lot where there are usually many golf carts with clubs? Of course leaving garage doors open isn't wise. But don't let one little story become more than it is.

I have to agree with Bare.

That is not questioning the OP's character, she is a very dependable person. It just is from time to time emails circulate that repeat OLD information.

There WAS reported here last year an incident that involved a golf cart taken from someone's garage in early dawn. The owner had opened the door to get the paper from the driveway and forgot to close it. The cart had it's keys and it disappeared. It was found somewhere close on campus with everything still intact very quickly, as I recall. Pooh told us about this as it was near her in Mallory. I suspected visiting um...kids and got really beat on for that.

I am very careful of my clubs and have a locking device on them that can be purchased at any of the country club stores around town. When we lunch we try to park in back of the country clubs.

With all of the expensive golf clubs in peoples carts parked outside restaurants you would think there would be more thefts. You do hear of clubs falling off golf carts and being found and returned. There was some thefts about three years ago of golf carts. The son of a villager was arrested for those. We also had a meth lab discovered in the attic of a garage in TV. A widowed woman had been befriended by a young couple and she had allowed them to move in with her. Their pictures were in the paper. Very bad looking folks.

I did NOT mean to diminish the OP. The OP is a responsible poster and a very valid and dependable and helpful person.. Emails and rumors are part and parcel of life here and many of us try very hard to keep things straight.

Sigh. Please...don't send me nasty PM's. I don't work for the developer.

We will hear more about this with more details from others I am sure and we can decide to worry or not to worry.

Springfield, What is an HOA person? We have a VHA rep in our village. I hope I didn't diminish your attempt to protect us.

It's a larceny or stealing, not a robbery. A set of golf clubs can not be robbed. A person would have had to have been holding the golf clubs or near the golf clubs and they were taken by force threat or intimidation to be a robbery. Not trying to be a pain, just trying to help people get the term right.

Thanks, but stealing is stealing. As in Thou shalt not....

NOT much going on around here.

I hope there is not a test on terms. Once again I am having to much fun to be too smart. That is a CRAZY story..and there does seem to be more than meets the eye??

I heard the exact same thing last week only it happened in Hadley. Also heard it a few times last year. What is an HOA person ?

We got the same email from our VHA Rep and I totally believe it happened. We have had people experience theft in our Village while their garage is open. Someone actually picked up a new set of Callaway's who was cruising on garbage day while the person was waiting to be picked up in his driveway and went inside for a second to get something-one of the people jumped out of the truck, picked up the golf clubs and started driving away. They chased the truck and got them back. Someone else had the GPS stolen out of her car; someone else something else.... I think there are "cruisers" who go through villages looking for opportunity. Of course you need to lock your car, close your garage door, etc...but there is also "life"-you wash your car, go in the house to get a drink of water and then are going to come right back out-normal stuff where you are in and out of the house to do chores. Realistically you are not putting your garage door up and down all the time when you are working outside. People are people and we are not an exclusive community that is crime free.

You live in Mission Hills and the OP lives in Tall Trees. Not to say it didn't happen, but whose VHA person, yours or theirs?

My point is that emails such as this circle and circle. Also someone is out having a few drinks and hears a story from someone they don't know and it troubles them and they repeat it.

Or people are sipping on water after their workout together and hear a story from someone who heard it from their VHA person.

I am not trying to say not to be careful, just not to worry a lot. AND JANE, I know you to be a very dependable poster and know you are reporting what happened accurately and exactly.

We bring with us the same level of caution needed at the place we left. That may need to be slightly adjusted, up or down. But it never hurts to be careful and safe.

Anything left at the curb will be taken and people do drive around on trash days looking for thrown out wondrous junque.

From my VHA REP
 

Hi All,
This was sent to me today for information. I send it out as a reminder that even though we live in probably the safest place in the state of Florida, we need to be vigilant and neighbors need to look out for each other.



Robbery in Tall Trees


(TOOK NAME OF VICTIMS OUT) asked me to notify everyone about a robbery at their home on Welcome Way TODAY Monday 9/16 about 1pm. (Couple) were home at the time.
Husband had just washed the love-bugs off his car and had left the garage door open to allow his car to dry. One of the neighbors witnessed a car stopping at their house with a guy and three girls. One of the girls jumped out of the car ...ran into their garage and came out with a set of golf clubs. The neighbor yelled at the girl and the crooks took off. They notified the policed immediately and the police responded within 2 minutes but the thieves had already gotten away. They do have a description of the car and the girl. Best lesson
NEVER LEAVE YOUR GARAGE DOOR OPEN.

On the opposite side of the coin....I don't understand why someone would invade someone's "space" and steal their personal possessions?

I realize in TV it is advised NOT to leave your garage doors up, but it's not the home owner who is truly at fault.......it is the thief. In my humble opinion anyway..........

My husband always leaves his garage doors open up here and I'm beginning to remind him that it's that time of year when the field mice like to sneak in.........especially since it was below freezing in the 30's this morning.

I hope this is an isolated incident as far as having to worrying about robbery within the garage.

I guess we would indeed always have to keep the garage doors down and locked..........I know you would not exaggerate a happening.....

Well, better safe than sorry...........times are changing, for sure.

I knew sooner or later we would get more information.

From Sperlings Best Places to Live
 

This was taken from Sperlings Best Places to Live....
The Villages Florida's crime seems to go along with the U.S. average.

The Villages, FL, violent crime, on a scale from 1 (low crime) to 10, is 4. Violent crime is composed of four offenses: murder and nonnegligent manslaughter, forcible rape, robbery, and aggravated assault. The US average is 4.

The Villages, FL, property crime, on a scale from 1 (low) to 10, is 4. Property crime includes the offenses of burglary, larceny-theft, motor vehicle theft, and arson. The object of the theft-type offenses is the taking of money or property, but there is no force or threat of force against the victims. The US average is 4.