Northern Virginia Woman Charged In Real Estate "Open House" Thefts

In Loudon County, Virginia, The Washington Post reports:

• A Leesburg woman posed as a home buyer at dozens of open houses in Loudoun County and stole items, including prescription drugs, jewelry and firearms, from four of them while real estate agents were elsewhere in the homes, law-enforcement officials said yesterday. Lauren E. Cooke, 24, who worked for a local moving company as a marketer, also burglarized four houses that were not on the market, officials said. She has been charged with 34 counts, including grand larceny, burglary, possession of a controlled substance and credit card fraud in the theft of items totaling nearly $200,000, they said. She is being held without bond at the Loudoun County Adult Detention Center.

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• [Loudoun County Sheriff's Office spokesman Kraig] Troxell said open houses can present an opportunity for criminals to roam freely in a home with little supervision. He urged sellers to hide valuables before showing their homes.

For more, see Woman Charged in Thefts at Open Houses (Homes Not on Market Were Also Targeted, Authorities Say).