Rockwall Police Warn Of Home Burglary Spree

Burglars busting down homeowners' doors

Police in Rowlett and three surrounding cities are asking resident to be vigilant after a string of as many as 20 home burglaries in the last two weeks.

Ten burglaries have been reported in Rockwall. Eight occurred in Rowlett, and several others were in Fate and Royse City.

Police have been ramping up patrols in the area.

"We see a trend like that, where it's a group of people or some sort of organized criminal activity, we want to put a stop to it as quickly as possible," Rockwall police Sgt. Aaron McGrew said.

Police said the burglars target homes between 8 a.m. and about noon. They knock on the door or ring the doorbell to see if anyone is home. If no one answers, they break the door down.

Bill Troth said the burglars tore apart his feeling of safety when they busted down the front door of his Rockwall home of 20 years.

"I was just terribly vulnerable," he said. "I don't feel as safe as I used to."

Kirby Gathright replaced Troth's doors and added a storm door and longer screws to secure it.

"I saw this was split -- I had never seen that in my career, and I've been around for a long time," Gathright said. "It's going to be hard to kick out so we're trying to buy the customer more time."

Troth said he hopes the added security will restore his sense of security.

"Essentially, I will have peace of mind so I can stand in the shower and not worry about someone breaking in while I'm in the shower," he said.

Rockwall police said the burglars drive a blue or gray Chrysler 300 four-door car or a black Cadillac DeVille. The car of the Rowlett burglars is described as a black Mercedes with a handicap plate possibly containing the character "Y" or "N."

Anyone who knows anything about the burglaries is asked to contact the Rockwall Police Department at 972-771-7717 or Rockwall County Crime Stoppers at 972-771-TIPS (8477).

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