Tile e ra- February 15, 2012 VouR COMMUNITV Page 9
1 Arrest
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these burglaries," Burford said. "We
have not determined yet whether
this guy was acting alone."
It's not time for the public to
relax yet, Burford said, although he
said he is confident that the depart-
ment has the burglar in at least some
of the recent burglaries in custody.
"Over the last few weeks,
Sweet Home has experienced a
series of home daytime burglar-
ies that follow a disturbing trend,"
Burford said. "The suspect knocks
loudly on the front door. If some-
one answers, he purports to be
looking for a lost pet or offers some
other innocent excuse, but if no one
soon comes to the door, he goes to
a door or a window shielded from
the street and neighbors' view and
forces entry.
"Unfortunately, in at least two
of these cases, a homeowner was
inside and had not heard or had not
had time to respond to the knocking.
The homeowner only became aware
of the problem when the suspect
was actually attempting entry.
"In another instance, the hom-
eowner left for a few minutes and
thus did not hear the knock at the
door. She and her children arrived
back at the house and startled the
burglar, who left by the back door as
they went in the front."
Police were concerned that it is
only a matter of time until this bur-
glar or burglars find themselves well
inside the house when they startle a
homeowner, Burford said. "Hope-
fully, the suspect will run as fast as
he can, but no one can predict what
the reaction of a frightened hom-
eowner and a nervous burglar will
be."
The Police Department has
made it a priority to respond as
quickly as possible to suspected in-
cidents of this type of crime, Bur-
ford said. "But we need your help
to catch these guys. Citizens cannot
stop crime all by themselves. Nei-
ther can the police. But when we
work together, we're a hard team to
beat."
• Take notice of strangers in
your area: If someone you don't rec-
ognize as belonging in your neigh-
borhood catches your eye, watch
them from a safe vantage point in
your home. If they are going door
to door or into areas of a neighbor's
yard they shouldn't, call 9-1-1 and
then stay on the line with the dis-
patcher to guide the responding of-
ricer to the suspect.
"We fully realize that the per-
son you're watching might have a
totally logical explanation for the
suspicious activity," Burford said.
"If that's the case, we'll find out
who they are, apologize for the in-
convenience and send them on their
way - no harm, no foul."
This has happened recently in a
couple of different places, including
The New Era office when a passerby
noticed someone he didn't recognize
trying to get a key to work in the
door. Police responded and discov-
ered that a part-time employee was
inside the building, apologized for
the inconvenience and moved on.
At a house on 27th Avenue,
where there was a burglary last
week in the neighborhood, a caller
reported a man in a black stocking
cap peering over a fence. Police
responded and found a neighbor
checking his own yard.
• Be aware of city laws: Sweet
Police Chief Bob Burford and Officer
Home has an ordinance that requires
anyone going door to door selling
a product or service to have a city
permit. Salesmen are required to
present that permit if you ask. They
can't get away with telling you that
their boss has it. Each person selling
door-to-door must have a permit and
show it if asked. If the salesman re-
fuses to show you the permit, close
the door. watch where they go and
call the police immediately.
• Make your property a hard
target: Lock your doors and secure
your windows. Make your house
look occupied even when it's not.
Tum on different lights when you
leave. Play music or better yet, talk
radio. The main reason the burglar
or burglars are knocking on doors
is to see if anyone is home. A home
should be well-kept, and should not
provide concealment next to win-
dows.
Make sure someone you trust
knows you will be gone, said Com-
munity Services Officer Gina Riley.
• Mark your valuables: Be
able to identify expensive property.
Police suggest close-up digital pic-
tures, especially of jewelry and other
items without serial numbers. Write
down the make, model and serial
numbers on high-value property.
If the item does not have a se-
rial number, police suggest adding
your own number. They prefer the
initials "OR" for Oregon followed
by your driver's license number
and then "DL." This method will
allow any police officer in the
ccmntry to quickly determine the
owner of property he may believe
is stolen.
If you need to borrow an en-
graving pen, contact the Sweet
Home Police Department, and it
will lend you one.
"Timeliness is of the essence
(following a burglary)," Riley said.
"We need to know.right away be-
cause tomorrow he's going to be
hawking them somewhere."
• Be proactive: Become a
member of your Neighborhood
Watch. The city has 10 Neighbor-
hood Watch groups. If you're not
sure who to contact, call Riley at
(541) 367-5181.
• Self-defense: Sweet Home
Photos by Sean C. Morgan
Rex Bostrom put Austin Richards into the back of a patrol car for transport.
police have heard from a number
of Neighborhood Watch members.
and The New Era staff have heard
off-hand comments from area resi-
dents about how dangerous it would
be for the burglar or burglars in the
recent series of burglaries to enter
their homes.
People have been asking ques-
tions about it. Riley said. and she
encouraged people to call with ques-
tions about the use of force.
But the use of deadly force
against a burglar is not simple. Bur-
ford said.
"You've got to be protecting
the lives of yourself or another per-
son" - or someone must be in seri-
ous danger of physical injury."
Police Chief Bob Burford talks to a driver at the intersection of 38th Av-
enue and Long Street during the hunt for a suspect in a burglary in prog-
ress.
Circuit Court
Mason Dale Tagen
Mason Dale Tagen pleaded
guilty in Linn County Circuit Court
to unauthorized use of a motor ve-
hicle on Jan. 20.
He was sentenced to 18 months
probation and must pay $517 in
restitution and fees. His license
was revoked for a year.
Charges of unauthorized use
of a motor vehicle and failure to
perform the duties of a driver were
dismissed, while he entered diver-
sion for driving under the influ-
ence.
Tagen was arrested for an inci-
dent on Nov. 22 by the Linn Coun-
ty Sheriff's Office.
The Linn County Circuit Court
issued a failure to appear warrant
for Eric Grimm, who was sched-
uled for arraignment on Feb. 2 on
charges of second-degree burglary
and third-degree theft.
Joe Orlando Suarez
Joe Orlando Suarez pleaded
guilty in Linn County Circuit
Court to contributing to the sexual
delinquency of a minor and was
sentenced to two days in jail with
12 months probation.
He must pay $247 in fines and
fees.
Charges of third-degree rape
and third-degree sexual abuse were
dismissed.
Suarez was arrested for an
incident on Dec. 13 by the Sweet
Home Police Department.
Eric Grimm
