13 replies to this topic

[Rablibra6]

Heads up to home owners.....

Sunday night someone manually flipped all of the breakers on our home and shut off all power, while we were inside watching movies. Normally this would not have been a big issue and was probably a prankster, however this could be a potentially dangerous situation. Who's to say this wasn't a "test" or ploy by a potential thief or home invasion?? Or what if your teenager or kids were home with a sitter or your wife was home alone??
Pranksters also need to be aware what a dangerous situation this puts them in. With the recent "issues" of graffiti in the neighborhood, home owners are more on guard and we ALL need to be aware of things like this going on in our quiet neighborhood. We phoned the police and requested a patrol of the neighborhood. We also have put a lock on the box as well as the gate. It might be a good idea for others to also lock up...since you never know......

[Silverado]

Thanks for the heads up. We live in Prairie Oaks too, and I always try to keep things secure. Lock on the electrical panel, and I replaced the latch on the gate with a locking version. I also added a deadbolt on the side garage door.

[old soldier]

this is one situation where it is good to have a mean dog. If you don't have one or can't borrow one you might try a beware of the dog sign

[CataBird]

You are SO right, Rablibra6!

Security is extremely important nowdays! Your "pranksters" are probably your neighbors' teenage delinquents acting up.

Regardless of who it is, here is a critical tip to prevent them from "hitting" your house again. Next weekend, have a loaded camera handy--preferrably one with a good flash on it and perhaps even telephoto capabilities--and a good Maglight flashlight.

As soon as the power goes off be out your front door ready to take a picture of your perpetrators. Remember, to them, this is like "door-bell-ditching," so they will likely be running away by the time you get outside. If not, quickly take the best pic you can of them, and the next day, get the pics developed and take them to the police station on Natoma Street.

While there, fill out a complaint report against these vandals--that's right, they are vandals! Vandalism is a crime! Don't let those punks get away with victimizing you.

Criminals want you to be a fraid. Fear emboldens them. Action scares them away.

Hhhmmm, I think we should make all criminals pay restitution to their victims--that would help curb crime unlike anything else.

[camay2327]

We live in Prairie Oaks too. Saturday evening around 10 or 11 PM we heard a noice outside in the front of the house so I grabbed my heavy police type flash light and went out. I checked around the house and saw a teen male next to my neighbors house. Come to think about it now he was in front of the electric box.

I shinned the light into his face and asked him what he was doing, thought he might be the neighbors son, but he wasn't. He said Oh sh.. and ran out into the road and got into the passengers side of a white fairly new vehicle. Looked like a Honda, not sure and he was gone.

So I guess I will be locking my electric box, but keep the key real handy in case something happens that we need to get into the box in a hurry.

[tessieca]

Now I guess I have to apologize for thinking my hubby was nuts for locking utility boxes (even the phone)!

[camay2327]

If you do lock your box, make sure you have the combination or key handy in case of emergencies.

[tessieca]

Of course! We just leave it in the lock, so we can get to it quickly!

[dave]

Now I guess I have to apologize for thinking my hubby was nuts for locking utility boxes (even the phone)!

Hey! You thought I was crazy for that?

Now I can say, see I told you so.

[Rablibra6]

We live in Prairie Oaks too.  Saturday evening around 10 or 11 PM we heard a noice outside in the front of the house so I grabbed my heavy police type flash light and went out. I checked around the house and saw a teen male next to my neighbors house. Come to think about it now he was in front of the electric box.

I shinned the light into his face and asked him what he was doing, thought he might be the neighbors son, but he wasn't.  He said Oh sh.. and ran out into the road and got into the passengers side of a white fairly new vehicle. Looked like a Honda, not sure and he was gone.

So I guess I will be locking my electric box, but keep the key real handy in case something happens that we need to get into the box in a hurry.

Correction to original post!!
This was on Saturday at 10:45 pm so it appears we have the same teen causing a problem. I'm sure I'll be more aware of teens in white cars running the neighborhood now. Thanks for the info.

[fantomu]

yeah my friend had food stolen from his garage once, what type of crap is that

[CataBird]

Yeah, that's another problem.

Along with keeping our doors and electrical boxes locked, it's also a good idea to keep our garage doors closed--even when home only for a short while, and regardless of the time of day/night.

Here's a great idea I got from reading Hints from Heloise in the Bee: When you leave home for extended periods, like vacation or a long trip, unplug your automatic door opener and lock your big metal garage doors--along with the side door and the interior door. Also it's a good idea to take down the "emergency" rope that hangs from the front of your garage door opener (if your big garage doors have windows). Better safe than sorry.

Making the break-ins more difficult will stop most would-be burglars from getting into your house.

[B&G]

I realize this is an old post, but after talking with some Elk Grove burglary detectives today I thought this should be readdressed and brought to the attention of homeowners. Elk Grove PD has been receiving similar complaints from homeowners that have been reporting that their power was shut off at the breaker box located outside of the house. Yesterday a subject was arrested driving a stolen vehicle that was taken during a burglary in Elk Grove. Under a taped interview with detectives, he stated that he got the car from a friend (they all say that). The friend told him that his friends had been going around Elk Grove and turning off the power on the breaker box at homes in Elk Grove. They would return later in the evening to see if any lights had been turned on inside the house. If no lights were on inside the house, they figured that the homeowners were on vacation or not home. The criminals would then break in and load up the homeowners valuables in the owners vehicle. They would then drive off with the vehicle and the valuables from the home. In this recent case the homeowner had his 2003 Lexus stolen along with misc valuables from the house including a plasma TV. The criminals tried to steal the Porsche in the garage but were unable to locate the keys.
This was not the first time this had happened, and it certainly won't be the last. Let's all try and keep an eye out for anyone suspicious in our neighborhood.