Garage Door Openers Linked to Burglaries

by Heather Muller , 10/31/2007

 

The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office issued a warning Tuesday about a string of burglaries that begin with the theft of garage door openers — which are then used to gain entry into the garages and even homes of sleeping Eureka-area residents.



“What seems to be happening is that the suspects approach a vehicle that is out on the street or in the driveway,” said Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer Brenda Godsey. “More often than not, it is an unlocked vehicle.



“Sometimes they will just take whatever they can out of that vehicle, but if the vehicle has a garage door opener in it, they might open the garage door and steal whatever items they can out of the garage.”



But the thieves don’t stop there.



“Then if the entry door into the house is unlocked, they might go into the residence itself,” Godsey said, adding that in the past two weeks there have been 11 incidents in the unincorporated Eureka area fitting this profile.



Godsey characterized the thefts as “very bold and very dangerous” because of the possibility of a confrontation between burglars and residents.



One suspect was arrested early Sunday in the Cutten area — which has been hard-hit by the burglaries.



A news release issued Tuesday by the Sheriff’s Office stated Deputy Jamie Barney saw a man sitting in a car parked on Excelsior Road, but the vehicle left the scene as Barney turned around to investigate.



Benjamin James Goldman, 29, of Eureka, was located a few blocks away and was found to be in possession of a controlled substance and placed under arrest, the release stated.



“A subsequent search of Goldman’s vehicle revealed that he was in possession of property that had been reported stolen in earlier vehicle and home burglaries,” the release stated.



But Godsey said it would be “premature” to conclude the thefts would stop after one arrest.



She said investigators were still tracing property back to the burglaries, and were following up on other leads.



“We lifted some fingerprints from a couple of these scenes, and we’re continuing to process other evidence,” she said.



Eureka Police Department Public Information Officer Suzie Owsley said the break-ins in the county matched a pattern of similar incidents within the city limits.



“We really want to impress upon people not to make it easy for criminals by leaving your garage door opener in a vehicle while it’s parked in front of your house,” Owsley said.



Chuck Petrusha, president of Advanced Security Systems, said he’d received numerous calls from burglarized residents, most of whom live south of Harris Street.



“It’s almost like an epidemic or an outbreak of burglaries that all seem very similar,” he said.



Petrusha offered the following tips.



    * Garage vehicles when possible, or park in well-lit areas.

    * Never leave a garage door opener in a vehicle overnight.

    * Lock doors leading from the garage to the house.

    * Residents with burglar alarms should use them.

    * If a garage opener is stolen, unplug the door to avoid being victimized again.





Sheriff Gary Philp said patrols in affected areas had been stepped up. The investigation is ongoing.