Burglars targeting neighborhoods without power
ISSAQUAH, Wash. -- Last week's historic storm and the power outages that followed brought out the best in some people, but it also attracted thieves.
With hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses left vulnerable by the outages, police say burglars have targeted dozens of powerless homes.
Burglars know that neighborhoods without power are easy targets, and they also know that police are spread thin during emergencies.
"When the storm hit we were busy going to accidents, downed lines, downed trees, things that were dangerous to individuals. So we don't have the man power to patrol neighborhoods," said Sgt. Cindy West of the King County Sheriff's Office.
The situation is all too familiar for Dudley Loomis and his wife, who live the Mirrormont neighborhood.
Mirrormont was hit especially hard by downed trees and power outages, and Loomis said his home has been in the dark since last Thursday.
On Monday, the Loomis family returned home to discover they'd been burglarized.
"When she went in the house first thing she saw was that the TV was gone, so she immediately went back to the motor home and called 911," Loomis said.
Other items, including jewelry, were also taken.
The good news is that electricity is back on for just about everyone who lost it, and the winter storm will soon be distant memory. But it's an experience victims like Dudley's wife won't soon forget.
"She feels violated (by) someone being in the house, or whatever. But all you can do is deal with it," Loomis said.
With hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses left vulnerable by the outages, police say burglars have targeted dozens of powerless homes.
Burglars know that neighborhoods without power are easy targets, and they also know that police are spread thin during emergencies.
"When the storm hit we were busy going to accidents, downed lines, downed trees, things that were dangerous to individuals. So we don't have the man power to patrol neighborhoods," said Sgt. Cindy West of the King County Sheriff's Office.
The situation is all too familiar for Dudley Loomis and his wife, who live the Mirrormont neighborhood.
Mirrormont was hit especially hard by downed trees and power outages, and Loomis said his home has been in the dark since last Thursday.
On Monday, the Loomis family returned home to discover they'd been burglarized.
"When she went in the house first thing she saw was that the TV was gone, so she immediately went back to the motor home and called 911," Loomis said.
Other items, including jewelry, were also taken.
The good news is that electricity is back on for just about everyone who lost it, and the winter storm will soon be distant memory. But it's an experience victims like Dudley's wife won't soon forget.
"She feels violated (by) someone being in the house, or whatever. But all you can do is deal with it," Loomis said.
