ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, April 24, 1997 TAG: 9704240056
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BETTY HAYDEN SNIDER THE ROANOKE TIMES
Police say they're quick and professional, and they take only the good stuff. Then they head for the interstate.
A band of transient burglars that has hit homes in the Roanoke Valley off and on for years may strike again in the next few days, police said.
Police think the burglars, who operate in teams of two or three, have stolen cash, jewelry and silver recently from two Roanoke homes, Roanoke police Sgt. Don Walker said. Past experience leads Walker to believe they will be back, possibly this weekend.
"They know what areas they're going to hit before they get there," probably from casing houses during previous visits, Walker said. They target affluent neighborhoods and almost always work during the day.
Walker described the burglars' established pattern:
They like to operate in the warmer months because people are more likely to go outdoors and leave their homes unlocked.
A man usually drops two women off and circles the area, probably scouting future targets. The women walk through the neighborhood and typically enter unoccupied homes together.
If someone is home, one woman will distract the owner by asking for directions or using some other excuse to chat while the other woman burglarizes the house. The man picks them up, and they're on their way.
The thieves take only selected items and can be in and out of houses quickly.
"They're consistent in what they take," Walker said. "They know their jewelry and they know their silver. They only take the good stuff."
They operate so neatly that it sometimes takes residents several days to notice anything is missing. The time lapse, the false names they use and the lack of physical evidence they leave behind has made it difficult to catch them.
"If you don't catch them in the act ... there's no one to tell you who did it," because they usually hop back on the interstate after hitting a few homes.
Stealing is their profession, Walker said. He thinks the thieves are part of a larger crime ring based in New York. Authorities think a similar ring operates out of Chicago.
"It's their lifestyle," Walker said. "This is how they raise their children."
Little of the stolen property has been recovered, but some items stolen from other areas have been found in Poland and Russia.
Members of the ring are suspected in a series of burglaries in Roanoke and Salem in the summers of 1993 and 1995. More than $50,000 worth of jewelry was taken from one home.
Police arrested two suspects in 1995 after an eyewitness called 911, but they were released from jail after each posted a $25,000 bond, Walker said. They paid cash.
The suspects skipped town, leaving police with two false names, their fingerprints and no way to track them down, he said.
Walker said the recent team of burglars probably headed south and may swing back through Roanoke, Roanoke County or Salem on the way back to New York.
Residents should keep doors and windows locked, even while in their yards, Walker said. It also is a good idea to hide valuables in unusual places.
Anyone who notices strangers walking through the neighborhood or strange cars circling the block should call police.
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