ELYRIA — Police are investigating a rash of home burglaries in the Elyria area — a daily occurrence, according to police incident reports.
From Sept. 14 to Friday, police provided 32 incidents of reported home burglaries in the city. Two burglaries were also reported early Monday, according to police reports.
The burglaries occur varying times of the day with the thief breaking a window or a door to gain entry into a home.
At 6:20 a.m. Thursday, a woman reported that someone broke the door jam of her door and went through the drawers in her kitchen and den. The woman, who lived in the 200 block of Ashland Avenue, told police there was an older dog in the house, but the dog didn’t make a noise and she didn’t wake up.
At 2:57 a.m. Monday, police were sent to an apartment in the 200 block of Park Meadow. A woman who lived in the apartment told police she was sleeping when two men pulled her out of bed and asked “where the weed and money was at.” The woman told police she had no marijuana, but pointed one of the men, who was carrying a gun, to her purse.
Police arrived to find the door kicked in and the door jamb broken. The woman’s three children were crying, according to a police report.
The woman could not provide a good description of the men because it was dark, she said, but she told police she did not recognize their voices.
The large amount of home burglaries are enough to concern block watch captains like Kelly Johnson, who heads the block watch on the west side of Elyria.
Johnson said there have been some break-ins in her area, but the majority of break-ins have been reported in the Eastern Heights area.
“Where it used to be the suspects would walk along streets breaking into cars, now they’re doing it with homes,” she said.
Johnson said block watch captains believe the same suspects are committing the crimes and have targeted homes in which windows are open or purses are in view.
At 6:50 a.m. Thursday, police were sent to the 100 block of Clemson Avenue for a burglary in which a suspect stole two purses that were downstairs in the home. The homeowner found her purses in some bushes on Calann Drive, but a total of $1,056 in cash was missing.
Police said the front den sliding window was in the locked position but not latched. Police examined the door and determined the suspect was wearing gloves, according to a police report.
Because the crimes are occurring at varying times, sometimes when the homeowner is home, Johnson recommended that residents be extra cautious and notify police if they notice anything suspicious. She also recommended that people keep items of value, like purses, out of view and keep windows and doors locked.
“Be on the lookout. If you know your neighbor is on vacation, and you notice strange cars or people peering around windows, notify police,” she said.
The suspects are hitting three or four homes at a time. Johnson said block watch captains do not believe the suspects are juveniles, although North Ridgeville police arrested a 17-year-old Monday who was suspected in relation to a local burglary.
North Ridgeville police also have reported a rash of burglaries in the area, according to an alert notification posted on the North Ridgeville Police’s Facebook page.
Police said the department has experience and high volume of both daytime and nighttime burglaries with the suspect cutting screens to gain entry through unlocked or open windows and then stealing purses or other easily grabbed items.
Areas hit included the Clear Creek Drive and Cambridge Drive area and the Homestead Vineyards off Jaycox Road.
Police recommended that residents lock their windows and doors, set alarms and report any suspicious people in the area. Johnson said it’s important to call police, regardless of whether the caller believes a suspicious person may be involved in the burglaries.
“If police are getting a lot of calls, then maybe they’ll step up patrols in that area,” she said.
The Elyria Block Watch groups have eight groups and 800 members, according to Johnson.
To join the block watch group, or for more information, visit the group’s website at www.blockwatchelyria.com.
A Safety Summit will also be 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday for block watch captains, residents and city safety officials. The summit will be at South Park Recreation Center, and discussions will be about improving safety in the city. Reservations are required and can be made by calling (440) 326-1402.
Reported home burglaries in Elyria
- Sept. 14 at 6:21 a.m. — 900 block of Fairwood Boulevard
- Sept. 14 at 8:22 a.m. — 100 block of Coronado Court
- Sept. 15 at 7:40 a.m. — 200 block of Ashland Avenue
- Sept. 15 at 10:15 a.m. – 200 block of Ashland Avenue
- Sept. 16 at 12:37 a.m. — 500 block of Georgetown Avenue
- Sept. 16 at 1:18 a.m. — 100 block of Alexander Drive
- Sept. 16 at 11:08 a.m. — 100 block of Meadow Lane
- Sept. 16 at 12:16 p.m. — 100 block of Ohio Street
- Sept. 16 at 11:28 p.m. — 100 block of 4th Street
- Sept. 17 at 7:54 a.m. — 500 block of Clemens Ave
- Sept. 18 at 6:55 a.m. — 100 block of Woodridge Drive
- Sept. 18 at 8:22 a.m. — 700 block of Woodland Avenue
- Sept. 18 at 6:33 p.m. — 300 block of 17th Street
- Sept. 18 at 6:35 p.m. — 200 block of Washington Avenue
- Sept. 19 at 1:24 a.m. — 100 block of Alexander Drive
- Sept. 19 at 2:41 a.m. — 200 block of Harwood Street
- Sept. 19 at 4:05 a.m. — 200 block of Park Avenue
- Sept. 19 at 4:57 a.m. — 100 block of Hamilton Street
- Sept. 19 at 12:22 p.m. — 100 block of Harwood Street
- Sept. 19 at 4:52 p.m. — 200 block of Cornell Avenue
- Sept. 19 at 5:42 p.m. — 500 block of S. Abbe Road
- Sept. 19 at 8:05 p.m. — 200 block of Vassar Avenue
- Sept. 19 at 11:03 p.m. — 1000 block of Garford Avenue
- Sept. 20 at 3:43 p.m. — 600 block of Oakdale Court
- Sept. 20 at 4:50 p.m. — 39000 block of Chestnut Ridge Road
- Sept. 20 at 2:17 p.m. — 800 block of S. Logan Street
- Sept. 22 at 12:28 p.m. — 200 block of College Drive
- Sept. 22 at 2:23 p.m. — 100 block of Bath Street
- Sept. 24 at 2:28 p.m. — 900 block of Hollis Drive
- Sept. 27 at 6:20 a.m. — 200 block of Ashland Avenue
- Sept. 27 at 6:50 a.m. — 100 block of Clemson Avenue
- Sept. 28 at 6:44 p.m. — 200 block of 7th Street
Contact Chelsea Miller at 329-7123 or cmiller@chroniclet.com.
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