Carson City crime: Rise of burglaries seen in West Winnie Lane and Washington Street

Since October, the Carson City Sheriff’s Office has reported an increase in residential burglaries.

Several of them have occurred along the main corridors of the west side of Carson City on West Winnie Lane and Washington Street. The burglaries are occurring during the daytime while the residents are away from their homes.

Detectives received information from a citizen who lived on Bath Street she had an encounter with two suspicious subjects on Nov. 12.

The resident stated a young female adult came to her home identifying herself as an employee of a local utility company. The young female stated she was doing work on the streetlights for a company called “SMG.” The young female told the reporting party she had placed construction flags in the backyard of the property. The reporting party took the female to the backyard so they could look at the flags. The reporting party became suspicious when no flags were found, and she began questioning the young woman.

When the reporting party asked for identification from the woman, she became nervous, stating she needed to call her partner, then the woman ran to the front yard. The woman was seen getting into a white sedan, driven by a male subject, with its trunk open. The description of the female was as follows — in her 20s, around 5-feet, 4-inches tall, dark hair pulled into a ponytail under a dark colored baseball cap. The reporting party described her as attractive.

While this information may or may not be related to the burglaries, it was in the area where several of them occurred.

The individuals who are typically canvasing neighborhoods looking to take advantage of properties will not have any proper form of identification. They sometimes ask questions about who lives at the home, and they may ask to be shown around the property. The majority of the time they are trying to see if anyone is home. When they discover no one is present, they force their way into the residence or attempt to find an unlocked door or window.

The Carson City Sheriff’s Office is asking for information about any suspicious activity.

To make a report, call the Sheriff’s Office communications center at 775-887-2008. Anyone with information about the burglaries is asked to call Lt. Brian Humphrey, Det. Legros or Det. Hatley at 775-887-2020, ext. 41400.

The Carson City Sheriff’s Office recommends residents not allow anyone into their home unless they know or have verified the identification of an employee from a trusted company the resident has asked services from. Also, all solicitors are required to provide a copy of their permit in order to go door to door in Carson City.

The Sheriff’s Office also recommends the following:

Make sure all vehicle and home doors and windows are locked.

Have a trusted neighbor, friend or family member pick up newspapers or packages and watch the home if the home’s occupants are out of town.

Make homes look occupied by leaving lights, radios or televisions on, or use timers so TVS, radios and lights can turn on and off during different times of the day or night.

Close and lock garages.

Put mail on hold at the Post Office while out of town.

Notes indicating the resident is out of town should never be left on the door.

Keep valuables and packages out of sight as much as possible.

Do not store gifts, packages, and items in a vehicle.

Break down TV, cell phone, computer and electronic game boxes before putting them out for the trash.

Document serial numbers and etch or mark items so they can be identified if they are stolen.

Exterior doors should have deadbolt locks.

Sliding doors and windows should have auxiliary locks.

Consider alarm systems.