We know that burglars do come back to the scene of the crime. It may be a few days later, or even years later: after serving a three-year prison term, one serial burglar in FL even revisited a house he had previously broken into – and was caught again! It’s a known fact that burglar alarms do prevent home intrusions.
Same Houses – and Same Neighborhoods
Burglars don’t just target the same house two or more times: they also “work” a neighborhood or community on a repetitive basis. And what’s more, it’s been well documented that burglars have a high rate of recidivism, meaning they may well serve jail time for home intrusion and later revert to that same form of crime on release. Here’s a telling tale from the Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania.
An Allentown man admitted Wednesday to stealing about $98,000 worth of jewelry, cash, coins, electronics, handguns and other items in 41 home burglaries across the Lehigh Valley while on house arrest. Handcuffed and wearing a blue prison jumpsuit, Herman Ojeda Jr., 38, pleaded guilty to 41 counts of burglary and three counts of attempted burglary.
Drugs are Often Behind Criminal Activity
First Assistant District Attorney Steven Luksa described each burglary, digging cases out of a large pile sitting on top of Dantos’ bench. After describing each one, Luksa placed the files next to him on the floor. By the end of the hearing, the pile had spilled by his feet. After the hearing, Luksa said Ojeda has told authorities he committed the burglaries because he lost his job and bills were mounting. Luksa said Ojeda was also feeding a three-bag-a-day heroin addiction.
Routine Burglar Tactics
Almost all of the burglaries happened between noon and 3 p.m., when the homeowners were not there. Police said Ojeda would first knock at the door to see if anyone answered. He would also avoid homes with alarm systems. “He said he didn’t want to hurt anyone,” Luksa said. Luksa said Ojeda told authorities he committed at least one of the burglaries with his “mentor” who later died of a drug overdose. Police said in many of the burglaries, Ojeda would ransack the bedroom and leave other rooms untouched.
How Police Caught Him
Authorities said they were able to identify Ojeda as a suspect based on witness descriptions and a GPS device that he was required to wear because he was on house arrest. Luksa said Ojeda committed the burglaries during times he was permitted to leave his home. Luksa said defendants on house arrest can leave their homes for work, doctor’s appointments, grocery shopping excursions and for other reasons. Luksa said Ojeda’s GPS device showed he was near the burglaries at the time they were committed.
One might assume that being forced to wear a device that reports your location would dissuade you from committing more burglaries – but not in this case.
As we’ve stated many times, the best deterrent to a break-in at your home is a monitored alarm system – especially one with safer cellular monitoring and smarter interactive features. BSG specializes in these systems: that’s our commitment. And if you’ve been broken into (or someone else in your neighborhood has), the very first thing you should do is add monitored security as your first line of protection. You deserve peace of mind, and that comes from the knowledge that you’re protecting your home and family. BSG provides the best home security: safer, smarter, simpler, more affordable, and virtually impossible to defeat. Just check the reviews, and you’ll see why so many homeowners choose BSG over the competition.
