Daytime Break-In Shakes Old Town Walkersville

Thursday morning, a brazen criminal broke into a home on Fulton Avenue in Walkersville. The break-in occurred between 9:00 a.m. and noon, according to the resident’s dog walker who found the damaged door upon returning to walk the pit bull that lives in the home. Police responded to the scene finding a crowbar had been used to make entrance to the home. Police continue their investigation.

The resident was not home, but was thankful that her dog appeared to have scared the criminal away before anything was stolen. She met with the Maryland State Police when she returned home. They assured her they would step-up surveillance of the area. Meanwhile, her door had to be repaired, and she is purchasing security cameras for her entire property.

According to the owner’s son, police already have a suspect. That hasn’t comforted the victim or her neighbors. Some neighbors at five-corners reported that someone had picked through their rental car a few nights earlier.  They all complained that this has been an on-going issue that the police and Town have not been able to stop.

At the last Walkersville Town Meeting, another neighbor, Steve Crawford, asked Town Commissioners and Burgess to pitch in for security cameras to record activity around his properties at Five Corners. He told the elected officials that he would be installing the equipment with or without their support. Crawford said, “we have an open air drug market at Five Corners, and all of you are aware of it.” Town Commissioner Don Schildt supported the idea, and told his fellow commissioners that a volunteer who takes care of Memorial Park has expressed concerns, also.

The continued crime in Old Town Walkersville and this most recent event spurred several neighbors to spend the weekend putting security cameras all around their properties, and plan increased neighborhood watch activities.

One neighbor immediately replaced locks on doors and put up cameras that record and alert his cell phone of any motion near his family’s home. “Its scary to think someone was bold enough to do this during the day, but its not the first time. Its getting worse,” the man who wished to remain anonymous stated.

“We’ve gone to the Town, and the police. Just last month, they told us crime was down. Now, we have someone using a crowbar to get into our homes,” a member of the Neighborhood Watch stated. He, also, did not want to be identified, because of “the Town’s treatment of anyone who complains.”