Theft & Burglary Stories Connected To Foreclosures, Vacant Homes

Theft & burglary stories with some connection to foreclosures and vacant homes:

• Brackenridge, Pennsylvania: A Brackenridge homeowner who recently moved out of her residence went back to check on the mail when she made a discovery that would end up putting the whole block on alert. She noticed a strong odor of natural gas, saw the back door was kicked in, and noticed there was approximately a 3-foot section of copper pipe missing causing the natural gas to escape throughout the house. The fire department responded and cleared the area and evacuated the citizens in the local area until all the utilities were shut off, out of concern that an explosion could be triggered. See Copper Theft Led To Brackenridge Gas Leak.

• Deland, Florida: Police are looking to crack down on thieves targeting empty homes for copper. A foreclosed home in DeLand was targeted by thieves last week. Thieves stole almost the entire air conditioning unit, cutting off copper tubing. Law enforcement said it's happening across the county. Criminals are looking for homes with for sale or foreclosure signs. See Copper Theft Creeping In Volusia County.

• Elk River, Minnesota: Elk River foreclosed and model homes have been experiencing a rash of break-ins. Elk River Police Department Capt. Bob Kluntz said over the weekend of Dec. 27 and Dec. 28, a number of homes were broken into just south ofthe Elk River Country Club. The common factor is emptiness, meaning all the homes were vacated at the time. Either the residence was one under foreclosure, or a model home for sale. See Police see rash of home break-ins.

• Phoenix, Arizona: Phoenix-area police are seeing a rise in the theft of pool equipment and supplies from Phoenix-area residences. It is one of a number of property crimes occurring in the region, encouraged by the fact that a substantial number of local homes are vacant because of foreclosure and the inability to find buyers or renters in the soft housing market and economy. The Tempe Police Department said [...] there were 80 pool equipment thefts in the metro area between April and December, putting the issue on the radar of local police units. See Pool equipment thefts on the rise.

• Moriah, New York: The former treasurer of the Moriah Ambulance Squad has confessed to stealing $9,600 from the squad’s treasury to pay a mortgage. She said she took the money between March and May 2008 to send to her attorney for a mortgage-foreclosure action. She also made false entries in the Ambulance Squad’s check register to show that three checks were made out to vendors instead of to her. See Ambulance treasurer pleads guilty. copper metal theft yak