MILL CREEK – A rash of break-ins in Mill Creek may be connected to a string of similar burglaries southeast of Everett.
Mill Creek residents reported 65 burglaries between Jan. 1 and May 15 – a fourfold increase over the same period last year, police spokeswoman Becky Erk said.
Most of the burglaries occurred in the northern half of Mill Creek, in the same general area of Snohomish County where thieves have broken into more than 30 houses since March.
Mill Creek police are working with the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office to investigate the possibility that the thefts are linked.
“Burglars don’t care about city or county lines. They just care about houses with unlocked windows and doors, set back from the road where they can easily break in,” sheriff’s Sgt. Dan Hart said.
Residents should let their neighbors know if they plan on traveling over the Memorial Day weekend, Erk said. People should also tell their neighbors whether anyone will be stopping by their homes while they’re gone.
“Just keep your eyes and ears open with your neighbors,” Erk said. “Maybe have some neighborhood meetings and let your neighbors know when you’re going to be out of town.”
To report any suspicious activity, call 911 or the Snohomish County sheriff’s tip line at 425-388-3845.
Most of the Mill Creek burglaries have been crimes of opportunity, Erk said.
Some of the thieves got in through open doors, windows and garages. They made sure the homeowners were either gone or busy before slipping into the homes and grabbing whatever they could.
At other times, burglars have gone door-to-door, knocking to see if anyone was home. If there was no answer, they checked to see if the door was unlocked.
The burglars also have broken down doors to get into some homes, Erk said. Most of the break-ins happened during the day when the residents were are gone.
Police have arrested seven people since March in connection with five of the Mill Creek burglaries, Erk said. Police need the public’s help to make more arrests, she said.
“When you’ve got more than one burglar in the area, and they’re using different methods, we don’t know who’s doing what and when,” Erk said.
Reporter Scott Pesznecker: 425-339-3436 or spesznecker@heraldnet.com.
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