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Calvert County sheriff's detectives believe the daring burglar who spread fear throughout a Chesapeake Beach neighborhood last winter has returned and broken into 20 homes there and in North Beach in the past three months, officials said.
Sheriff's Sgt. Bobby Jones said one man is likely responsible for most of the burglaries, which have occurred with atypical frequency this summer in the quiet towns known as the Twin Beaches.
Jones said the intruder acts much like a "cat burglar" by breaking into homes at night while residents are asleep.
"It's unusual," Jones said. "Most of the time, people want to break into a home when no one is there."
In most cases, the burglar breaks a window or a door lock to get inside the house, then steals a small amount of cash, usually from purses and wallets that are left lying on kitchen counters, Jones said.
"It seems like [the burglar] is trying to take money -- no jewelry or other things that you can pawn," Jones said.
Jones said the thief operates like the burglar who broke into more than a dozen homes last winter -- from November to February -- in Chesapeake Beach.
The burglaries alarmed many who believed the intruder was targeting the homes of single women. A neighborhood watch team was formed in the waterfront cottage neighborhood at the center of the burglary spree, and the crimes eventually stopped.
But no one was ever arrested, and similar burglaries began occurring again in July, mostly in North Beach, Jones said. Residents caught the burglar in the act a few times, but he was able to flee before the victims could observe him long enough to give a good description, Jones said.
North Beach Mayor Mark R. Frazer said he has spoken to the sheriff's office about the break-ins and is satisfied with the police work. Frazer said the burglaries "do not represent a crime wave."
"We are certainly concerned about the high number of incidents," Frazer said. "But from all that I have been told, it does seem to be the work of the same person who has been responsible in the past. . . . This person will make a mistake and be apprehended."
Jones said anyone with information about the burglaries should call the sheriff's office at 410-535-2800 and ask to speak with a detective.
© 2003 The Washington Post Company
Sheriff's Sgt. Bobby Jones said one man is likely responsible for most of the burglaries, which have occurred with atypical frequency this summer in the quiet towns known as the Twin Beaches.
Jones said the intruder acts much like a "cat burglar" by breaking into homes at night while residents are asleep.
"It's unusual," Jones said. "Most of the time, people want to break into a home when no one is there."
In most cases, the burglar breaks a window or a door lock to get inside the house, then steals a small amount of cash, usually from purses and wallets that are left lying on kitchen counters, Jones said.
"It seems like [the burglar] is trying to take money -- no jewelry or other things that you can pawn," Jones said.
Jones said the thief operates like the burglar who broke into more than a dozen homes last winter -- from November to February -- in Chesapeake Beach.
The burglaries alarmed many who believed the intruder was targeting the homes of single women. A neighborhood watch team was formed in the waterfront cottage neighborhood at the center of the burglary spree, and the crimes eventually stopped.
But no one was ever arrested, and similar burglaries began occurring again in July, mostly in North Beach, Jones said. Residents caught the burglar in the act a few times, but he was able to flee before the victims could observe him long enough to give a good description, Jones said.
North Beach Mayor Mark R. Frazer said he has spoken to the sheriff's office about the break-ins and is satisfied with the police work. Frazer said the burglaries "do not represent a crime wave."
"We are certainly concerned about the high number of incidents," Frazer said. "But from all that I have been told, it does seem to be the work of the same person who has been responsible in the past. . . . This person will make a mistake and be apprehended."
Jones said anyone with information about the burglaries should call the sheriff's office at 410-535-2800 and ask to speak with a detective.
© 2003 The Washington Post Company
