A Wood Avenue woman received quite the surprise when she stopped home last Friday afternoon.
Just before 2 p.m., the woman unlocked her back door. She heard a noise coming from her bedroom, but it was the discovery of an unfamiliar man in the kitchen that startled her.
She told police he was in his 20s with black hair and a stocky build. He wore black sweatpants and a white jacket or hooded sweatshirt.
“Sorry, wrong house,” he reportedly told her, as he sprinted out the front door.
The woman yelled to her father-in-law who was sitting in a car in the driveway. The couple lost track of the man in a nearby retailer’s parking lot.
Police believe the man could have entered the home through an unlocked window, and while nearby surveillance cameras may have captured an image of the fleeing man, Barrington Police Chief John LaCross is once again urging local residents to be on the lookout for anything suspicious.
“I strongly encourage our residents to lock their doors at night and activate their home alarm system if applicable,” Chief LaCross said in a press release issued last week.
“Neighbors should watch out for each other and call the police immediately if they see any suspicious activity, strange cars or people in their neighborhoods or even when your pet dog barks in the early morning hours.”
The Wood Avenue incident was one of many to hit Barrington over the last several weeks. While that Wood Avenue woman said the alleged thief made off with a few pieces of costume jewelry, others have reported missing cash and computers.
Whoever is behind the reported break-ins also seems to be rather brazen.
On Thursday, March 21, a Baron Road man told police he and his wife fell asleep on the couch. The house was lit up and the television was on when the man was awoken up by a cool breeze. He opened his eyes to spot a man standing outside his unlocked sliding glass door.
The man took off; the resident told police it did not seem like the suspect had entered the home.
A pair of Thomas Street residents believe they were the victims of a robbery that same night. The husband and wife couple contacted police later Thursday. They said each woke up to find about $200 missing from their wallet and purse, respectively. It seemed like the house could have been entered through an unlocked back door.
The next day, a caretaker of the American Legion stopped by the facility on Legion Way to find several windows broken though nothing was reported taken.
Police next heard from a Doane Road woman who found her slider door open just a bit though a piece of wood at the bottom of the door kept it nearly shut. It didn’t seem as though anyone had entered the home and nothing was missing.
All of these incidents followed an earlier string of reported break-ins or attempted break-ins on Mathewson Road, Chapman Lane, Birch Lane and Joyce Street.
Chief LaCross said detectives are “diligently” working on each case though he wasn’t sure if they are connected. Residents, however, can play a big role in assisting this and other investigations by simply keeping an eye out for anything out of the ordinary around their neighborhoods.
Anyone providing information which leads to the arrest of these suspect(s) will be entitled to a Crime Watch cash reward. If you have information, please call the Barrington Police tip line at 437-3933. The tip line is a confidential telephone number that is not recorded.