[Lynnelf]

I am the homeowner whose home was burglarized yesterday in Sanibel. We were out and about The Villages yesterday and when we arrived home about 2 o'clock, we discovered our home had been broken into. They kicked the front door in WITH A SECURITY BAR in place. The security bar was worthless. The molding on the inside ripped away and they walked right in. The door was not even damaged. They targeted a safe that we had in the house. Now here's the thing. There has been only one worker in the house since we got that safe. The police have that information. However, we realized that we did something very stupid. We put that box out on the street for garbage pick-up and had some other garbage inside the box. The garbage pick-up has been rather late for the last several weeks so it sat in our driveway all morning. It was like a big advertisement that we had a safe and therefore, must have valuables in the house! It seems obvious now, but at the time we thought nothing of it! So please, be careful of what you are throwing out! They definitely targeted the safe and easily pried it open. It is clear to us by looking at the things they passed up, that they were looking for cash and gold. (small items only.) Unfortunately for me, I had taken off my wedding band and diamond the night before and left it right out on my nightstand. Needless to say, they were gone. They did not appear to have been in the house long. They went through the master bedroom nightstands and dresser top drawers. It does not appear that they were anywhere else in the home. When they left, it appears they walked out the back door right to the country club parking lot where they were probably parked.
So I read on the other threads regarding this burglary that everyone on the street watches out for each other. We do that on this street too but it didn't help. I read that it is almost impossible to kick in the door with a security bar in place. Not true. There are no neighbors nearby with kids living with them that I know of but there sure are lots of contractors on this street everyday. I believe it was one of them. We didn't run out and get a security system when this same thing happened to someone else in our neighborhood, but we will be getting one now. That and a safety deposit box at the bank.

[graciegirl]

Originally Posted by Lynnelf

I am the homeowner whose home was burglarized yesterday in Sanibel. We were out and about The Villages yesterday and when we arrived home about 2 o'clock, we discovered our home had been broken into. They kicked the front door in WITH A SECURITY BAR in place. The security bar was worthless. The molding on the inside ripped away and they walked right in. The door was not even damaged. They targeted a safe that we had in the house. Now here's the thing. There has been only one worker in the house since we got that safe. The police have that information. However, we realized that we did something very stupid. We put that box out on the street for garbage pick-up and had some other garbage inside the box. The garbage pick-up has been rather late for the last several weeks so it sat in our driveway all morning. It was like a big advertisement that we had a safe and therefore, must have valuables in the house! It seems obvious now, but at the time we thought nothing of it! So please, be careful of what you are throwing out! They definitely targeted the safe and easily pried it open. It is clear to us by looking at the things they passed up, that they were looking for cash and gold. (small items only.) Unfortunately for me, I had taken off my wedding band and diamond the night before and left it right out on my nightstand. Needless to say, they were gone. They did not appear to have been in the house long. They went through the master bedroom nightstands and dresser top drawers. It does not appear that they were anywhere else in the home. When they left, it appears they walked out the back door right to the country club parking lot where they were probably parked.
So I read on the other threads regarding this burglary that everyone on the street watches out for each other. We do that on this street too but it didn't help. I read that it is almost impossible to kick in the door with a security bar in place. Not true. There are no neighbors nearby with kids living with them that I know of but there sure are lots of contractors on this street everyday. I believe it was one of them. We didn't run out and get a security system when this same thing happened to someone else in our neighborhood, but we will be getting one now. That and a safety deposit box at the bank.

Lynne. I am SO sorry this happened and THANK YOU for telling us.

I hope they catch the lowlife XXXXXXX and that your precious items are returned to you.

Do you think that the other break in was done in the same way?

It is horrible and shocking to know that someone can break down our doors in the middle of the day.

Again. I am so sorry this happened to you.

[JB in TV]

So sorry to hear what happened, but thank you so much for sharing your experience and thoughts. Perhaps it will help others. It is a good idea to watch what you put out for trash, I would not have given it a second thought. Just a question, was the safe installed by someone other than yourselves?

[Lynnelf]

We bought and installed the safe about two weeks ago. Told no one about it. There was one worker in our house since then, but I was keeping my eye on him. Then it dawned on me that we had thrown the box away in the trash. Seems so dumb now, but like I said, we didn't even think about it at the time. Oh well, another lesson learned.

[Wing-nut2]

If you send me a PM, I will send you phone number of the security company we use. It's easy, It's not expensive, and it's monitored for Burglar, Fire and Police. There's nothing stuck on windows etc. It's also portable. You can take it with you if you move.

Even if you don't buy the system (about $99.00), it's worth an hour of your time to hear and see how it works.

[Cedwards38]

I'm a fellow Sanibel resident (French Oak Avenue) and we use Frontpoint Security. We have been very happy with their system and especially with the customer service. You might check them out.

Total Security, Big Savings | FrontPoint Security

Also, would it be worth our time for someone from the Sanibel Heights Neighborhood Association to contact Frontpoint and other security companies about a group discount for anyone in the Association who might want to have the service? There is usually a discount available when groups purchase in volume. Just a thought. It would be easy to try to arrange a discount and then survey the Association members via email to see how many might be interested. We could turn Sanibel into the most protected neighborhood in The Villages!

[Taltarzac725]

Very sorry to hear about this burglary. It is nice to have nosy neighbors at times like this. Nosy strangers about what goes out in your trash, not so much.

This article might be of interest to others as well. I have seen similar recommendations on various news shows. http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/200...vention-bushes

[vlm790]

Has anyone used the people on canal street in the villages for a built in safe?

[patfla06]

I am so sorry to hear about your house being burglarized and most especially
that your wedding rings were taken.

Thank you so, so much for posting the facts.
I would have never thought about the box either.

We have every intention of putting an alarm in AND putting
Jewelry in a safe deposit in the bank.

I hope, somehow, they catch whoever did it and your rings are returned.

[graciegirl]

I hope that it will be in tomorrow.

[Gabbi1393]

I am so sorry to hear about your house being broken into. My husband has always had a thing about the trash. Says you are just advertising that you bought a new flat screen tv etc. you have to be careful, especially after the holiday when there are a lot of new boxes to throw out.

[kathyzapp]

Lynnelf,

I'm so sorry this happened to you.

Does your security bar go across your door or is it wedged under the door knob?

[The Buckeyes]

We rented a safety deposit box the day we closed on our home. Was surprised how cheap it was compared to up north.

[sandybill2]

So sorry Lynn that this happened. It is such an invasion to know that someone has been in your home, going through your personal things--- Hope you will recover your wedding rings-- Also hope that the authorities notify area Pawn Shops and jewelry stores that buy gold, etc. Thank you for warning all of us about putting out boxes on trash day---never would have thought of that-- but you are telling everyone what you have in your home.

[JourneyOfLife]

I would have an alarm system installed and use a monitoring service.

DIY Security cameras are fairly cheap now days. Many can be installed by the home owner if they are handy with that sort of thing. If not, a technician or electrician could set it up.

There are complete packages of a few cameras and DVR at a fairly low price. Some packages are less than $200. Motion detection recording, night vision, email snapshots, etc.