Neighbors On Guard After Fifth Burglary off Katie Kerr

Residents are on guard after a string of burglaries in the unincorporated DeKalb neighborhoods between College Avenue and S. Columbia Drive left police with few clues.

The DeKalb police officials said a department education specialist is in the process of reaching out to the communities and Neighborhood Watch group in the affected area to discuss the burglaries and advise them about what to do.

Burglars hit five homes between a three week span of Sunday, Jan. 16 and Monday Feb. 7. Most of the burglaries happened during the daylight hours and several between 9 a.m. and 10 a.m.

“Those cases have happened around a 2-mile radius over a one month period,” said Mekka Parish, a spokeswoman with the DeKalb County Police Department. “We are not sure if they’re connected or if they randomly took place. Detectives are following up on it and there have been no leads in these cases.”

According to police reports, burglars stole flat screen televisions, jewelry, cash, laptop computers, and cameras.

Ken Kovaleski, whose house on Royal Bluff was hit on Feb. 7 sometime during the day, had no alarm, but said he is now considering security options. He said he came home from work and found that his 32 inch flat screen Vizio television and $200 was stolen.

"I left for work in the morning and came home that night and noticed when I went to put my key in the front door that it didn't look right," Kovaleski said. "I knew immediately what it was. The door had been pried open. Besides the television, I saw that the burglar rummaged through my bedroom and took a few other things, watch, some cash and other such things. I called the police."

Kovaleski said the neighborhood watch group had sent around alerts, so he was aware of the burglaries.

The Ashwood Homeowners Association has posted signs at the exit of the development saying, "Neighborhood Alert! Watch for any suspicious activity."

The burglaries happened as follows:

- 2800 block Ashbury Heights Road on Sunday, Jan. 16 at 4:49 p.m.

- 800 block of Ashwood Walk on Friday, Jan. 21 at 9 a.m.

- 1000 block of Ashbury Drive on Tuesday, Jan. 25 at 9:45 a.m.

- 2800 block of Royal Bluff on Thursday, Jan. 27 at 9:46 a.m.

- 2700 block of Royal Bluff on Monday, Feb. 7 between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m.

According to police reports, there was only one witness who observed three alleged suspects were carrying items from one of the homes hit and then reported the burglars fleeing the scene at a high rate of speed in an “older model gold Saturn." The witness did capture a partial license tag number.

"Unfortunately, there has been nothing that points to anything specific pointing to suspects in these cases,” Parish said. “We are putting extra patrols out there and sending out our education specialists who are sending out alerts.”

Parish said two detectives are working these cases. If you have any tips that can help, please contact DeKalb County Police Department at 770-724-7600.