FREDERICKTOWN — Recent daytime burglaries in the Fredericktown area have residents concerned, and law enforcement in full investigative mode.
Two burglaries which occurred in the area of Lucerne and Sparta roads earlier this spring remain unsolved. Knox County Sheriff David Barber said detectives are considering the likely possibility that two more recent burglaries and an attempted burglary outside Fredericktown were committed by the same perpetrators.
The most recent burglary occurred early Monday morning at a home on Knox Lake Road.
“The homeowner came home and found the home burglarized,” Barber said. “The belief was that the suspect was still in the area. So officers responded immediately and secured the area, but didn’t locate anyone.”
Barber said because several officers were already in the area for a scheduled training Monday, the area was able to be combed quickly by officers.
“Extensive efforts were made, officers even searched by canoe and quadrunner,” he said.
While looking for the burglars, officers discovered another home near Knox Lake with a screen which had been cut. Barber said an activated alarm on the home probably thwarted the attempted burglary of that home.
As in the other robberies, electronics, cash and jewelry were taken from the home.
On April 6, a home on Cassell Road was burglarized early in the morning, according to the sheriff. He said homes in the areas outside of Fredericktown appear to be where the burglars are concentrating.
“One of the reasons these areas are prime targets are the houses are not very close together, so you may not have neighbors that are paying as close attention as in town,” Barber said.
Fredericktown Police Chief Jerry Day said burglaries in town have not been a problem recently. The thieves appear to target homes in rural areas.
Barber said anyone with any information about the crimes should call 397-3333. Barber said neighbors may have the piece of information which could break the case without realizing it.
“Anyone who may have seen anything out of the ordinary Monday morning in the area of Knox Lake Road, Armentrout Road and Spohn Road should call detectives,” he said.
He said residents in these areas should keep an especially watchful eye out for anything unusual to help prevent future crimes and help investigators find the thieves. The eyes and ears of citizens could help law enforcement solve the robberies, he said.
“We encourage people if they see an unfamiliar vehicle stopped in their neighborhood or in their neighbor’s driveway to call us,” Barber said. “We’d rather have people call and find out that the vehicle is there for a legitimate purpose as opposed to a resident come home and find they’ve been the victim of a burglary.”
