Winter Park homes, cars targets in rash of burglaries

WINTER PARK, Fla. — Winter Park police told Channel 9 that 25 homes and 21 cars have been hit by burglars in the past four months.
 
Police said one pattern they've have seen is that the burglars walk up to house empty handed, to avoid looking suspicious.
 
Police said they will steal the homeowners' pillow cases to load up the loot.
 
One homeowner came home from a doctor's appointment to discover thousands of dollars in jewelry had been cleaned out. Police said she is not alone.       
 
"We came home and right away we could see there was disarray -- pulled out drawers, they had taken TVs, all her electronics, several guns," said Marcia Blackburn. 
 
Blackburn's daughter's home on Ibis Court had been ransacked by burglars in the middle of the day.
 
They made off with around $30,000 worth of stuff, including her wedding rings. But the burglars weren't done.
 
"The next day (the family was) asleep and they came in the same hole in the glass and came in and got another gun -- so that's scary," said Blackburn.
 
Investigators are checking fingerprints from the second burglary and police have stepped up patrols in the area.
 
Neighbors are taking more steps to protect themselves.
 
I'm not going to hurt anybody, but I'm certainly going to stop them from taking what I've worked hard for," said resident Rudolph Scott, whose car was burglarized.
 
Police said the burglary rings will often target one city and move on.
 
Detectives hope vigilant neighbors, or evidence will then catch the burglars before they move on. 

WFTV