News

Home burglaries thought to be part of ring

By ROD STETZER
rod.stetzer @lee.net
Wednesday, September 3, 2008 12:08 PM CDT

Four residential burglaries during Labor Day weekend are part of nearly a dozen burglaries that have occurred in Chippewa County in the past six weeks.

The burglaries are taking place primarily in the central portion of the county, said Eugene Gutsch, captain of field services for the Chippewa County Sheriff’s Department.

He said movable items of significant value are being taken in the burglaries, which are happening mainly on weekends and when residents are gone for more than a day. There is also a similarity in the items being taken from the residences.

Sheriff James Kowalcyzk said that it’s thought the same person or people are responsible for the burglaries. Residences where the occupants are preparing to leave or going to be gone for a period of time are being targeted, he said.

County residents are being asked to report any suspicious activity, people or vehicles in their neighborhood. The sheriff’s department believes the people behind the burglaries are watching neighborhoods to determine which residences are unoccupied.

Residents are encouraged to install motion lights and take extra measures to secure their property. Gutsch suggested looking out for neighbors and watching for anything out of the ordinary in the neighborhood.

There were 40 reported burglaries over the first eight months of 2008, Gutsch said.

In 2007, Chippewa County had 90 reported burglaries, including residences and businesses.

Anyone with information about the latest cases is asked the call the sheriff’s department at (715) 726-7701. Or to report information that may assist in ongoing investigations, call (715) 726-7709.

PLEASE NOTE:

Comments on stories that are updated may disappear with each update. The comments above are from readers. In no way do they represent the views of the Chippewa Herald.

COMMENTS:

This Guy wrote on Sep 5, 2008 9:12 PM:

" Lock your doors, folks. It's a pretty big deterrent. "

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Red wrote on Sep 4, 2008 4:53 PM:

" Sorry typed Democratic wrong "

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Red wrote on Sep 4, 2008 4:51 PM:

" The liberal Demecrotes want us to slap the criminal wrists and rub their bellies. I just got a watch dog and a shot gun the REDNECK way and proud of it. "

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chip wrote on Sep 3, 2008 8:38 PM:

" yea I'd like them to try my house too. I have a surprise for them in the form of two pitt bulls. After meeting my dogs they would more than likely change careers. "

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happygolucky wrote on Sep 3, 2008 4:28 PM:

" it all starts with the kids stealing bikes. they grow up and steal other things. then there are all the people flooding into town from other areas. growth is a good thing, but people need to learn how to lock their doors and not leave expensive things in their cars.

i hope the creeps are caught. i've got cameras and alarms. if they manage to hit my house, you know i'll be turning the tapes into the police. i hope they try. the funny thing is, these creeps have no clue which house it is. so try mine once and let me get your ugly mugg on camera. "

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