Saratoga NewsBurglar enters 14 Saratoga homes at night, seeking cashHomes entered through unlocked, open windowsNothing taken in some casesBy Michelle Alaimo A burglar apparently searching for cash robbed 14 occupied homes on two separate nights in the Arroyo De Arguello area of Saratoga, south of Prospect Road, according to Sgt. Jack Smith from the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Department's Westside Substation. Most of the homes were entered through unlocked or open windows between 2 and 5 a.m. on Aug. 29 and Sept. 2. The thief struck seven houses each night, in some cases taking nothing. Smith said approximately $1,000 and a watch has been stolen, and the only clue some residents had that their house had been entered was a missing window screen placed on the ground. "This person is bypassing a lot of property," Smith said. Police said the burglar has gone through residents' purses, wallets, briefcases and a few cars in garages, which he accessed through the house. Det. Luther Pugh said some residents have found their wallets, with money removed, in their own back yards. In several incidents, people heard noises in their house. Some residents even heard their dogs barking but did not think anything unusual. In one incident on Sept. 2, a woman was awakened when her neighbors outside sensor lights came on, Smith said. She observed a man carrying a flashlight in her neighbors' house and pushed a panic alarm in her home which set off an alarm at the sheriff's station. The suspect disappeared before deputies arrived. "This individual is brazen enough to enter residences with people in them," Smith said. Deputies said the sheriff's department has increased patrols in the area. Smith said the burglaries are under investigation.
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This article appeared in the Saratoga News, September 10, 1997. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||