Published: May 28, 2009 10:52 am      

Burglars hit county home 6 times

A Rush Springs family is being terrorized by burglars as authorities continue to see a rise in the number of burglaries being reported.

With six break-ins between March 19 and May 1, thieves have ransacked the house and stolen most everything they could carry.

Homeowner Mike Luna is in the process of moving from California to Oklahoma, leaving family member William Large to look after his residence.

“While he’s gone, we try to keep an eye on the place,” said Large, a retired law enforcement officer.

However, keeping an eye on the place has been easier said than done.

On Thursday, March 19, Large discovered the first break in.

“The fence was cut and when they drove in, they broke both rear-view mirrors off and just left them there,” said Large, who notified the Grady County Sheriff’s Office about the break in.

A search of the numbers on the mirrors indicated they most likely came off of a 2003 or 2004 Chevy S-10 pickup. Interestingly, Luna spoke to a neighbor who had also been burglarized who told him he had seen a “loaded down” silver Chevy S-10 pickup coming out of Luna’s place on March 20, the day of the second break in.

“Mike had an ‘83 Chevy pickup that someone broke into and backed it up next to a metal storage container,” said Large. “Then they broke into the container and put everything into the pickup and ransacked the house.”

Alarmingly, three of the items reportedly taken from the house were firearms.

According to a police incident report by Deputy Ricky Rushing, no damage was done to the front or back door of the residence, but a sock was placed at the bottom of the back door to keep it open.

“Clothes were thrown around in the residence and several drawers were left open,” said Rushing in his report. “Outside the residence was a 1983 Chevrolet pickup, dark blue in color. The bed of the pickup was loaded down with miscellaneous items.”

On March 20, Large returned to Luna’s house to discover the pickup was gone. He again called the Grady County Sheriff and Deputy Beene responded.

While driving around, Large discovered a large pile of Luna’s property on the northeast corner of Hwy 17 and County Line.

Deputy Beene took photos of the items and took several items for evidence and assisted Large in placing the items back inside the metal storage container, making sure to lock the container.

On March 21, Large returned to Luna’s home and discovered the lock had been removed and two four-wheelers and two roll-around toolboxes were missing.

Again he called the sheriff.

Spending the next few days at Luna’s residence, Large was driving around the land on a four-wheeler and discovered two cut fences on CS2770, which adjoins Luna’s property.

“There was a well-beaten trail where they have been driving in and out,” said Large.

On March 24, a neighbor found a cell phone near the place where the fence had been cut.

Large turned the phone over to Deputy Beene.

On April 29, Large reported yet another break in.

Deputy Rushing returned to the residence and took fingerprints.

On May 1, Large discovered another break in.

“They hit again and really cleaned him out that time,” said Large.

By this time, Luna had arranged for a security system to be installed in the house, but during the May 1 burglary, the sensor was pulled off the wall.

On May 3, Large and his wife spent the night at Luna’s place.

Previously welding a box onto the storage container to cover the locks, Large pulled a large tractor in front of the container’s door to prevent entry. However, when he and his wife came to spend the night, they noticed the tractor’s lights were on.

“Someone tried to start the tractor to move it and left the lights on,” said Large.

This time the container was left intact and was not opened.

To date, Large says burglars have stolen all furniture in the house, including a washer and dryer, TVs, a microwave, a king-sized bed, dresser and a chest of drawers. Two four-wheelers and many other items have reportedly been taken from the large storage container.

“We have been working with the sheriff in Caddo County,” said Undersheriff Jim Weir. “It’s still open. We haven’t given up yet.”

Additionally, over the recent Memorial Day weekend, Chickasha Police reported nine burglaries in town.

“I wish I could tell you what’s causing it,” said Chickasha Police Chief Lynn Williams. “I don’t know if it’s the economy or what it is.”

Williams said although violent crime is down by five percent over last year, property crimes are up a whopping 18 percent.

“Property crime is on the rise,” said Williams. “We started to see an increase about two-and-a-half months ago.”

According to Williams, Chickasha is not the only community to see an increase in property crimes and that Norman Police Chief Cotton says his burglaries are “skyrocketing.”