Harvard police report that two homes in town were burglarized last week, one car stolen from a Whitney Lane residence was totaled, and unlocked cars on Sherry Road were looted.
Officer Greg Newman told the Press that about $12,000 worth of items were stolen from a West Bare Hill Road residence sometime between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Oct. 31. The theft was discovered by a high school student who had just returned home from school. Newman said there was no evidence of a break-in—it appeared that thieves went in through an unlocked door. Among the items stolen were jewelry and a large flat-screen TV—items that are increasingly popular among thieves, according to Newman.
The second burglary, which occurred at a Park Lane home, was discovered by a house-sitter who reported to police on Sunday, Nov. 2, that a flat-screen TV was missing and the house appeared to have been ransacked. The homeowners were away on vacation at the time. Newman said there was no evidence of a forced entry—there were no locks or doors broken.
According to Newman, break-ins have been on the rise in nearby eastern Mass. suburbs, with 24 reported last month alone. Park Lane resident Helena Sylvester told the Press she and some neighbors are organizing a neighborhood watch on that street. She said they will be working with police to learn what they can do to safeguard the 29 homes in the neighborhood.
“We will watch each other’s houses, and maybe bring the neighborhood together a little more,” she said.
Commenting on the recent break-ins in town, Sylvester said, “Harvard’s a target because [people] leave their doors open. If you make it easy for criminals, they’ll come here. If you make it difficult, they’ll go somewhere else.”
Sylvester invites anyone interested in more information about the new neighborhood watch group to call her at 978-456-2722 or e-mail her at neighborwatch@charter.net.
Stolen cars recovered; others ransacked
Shortly before noon on Saturday, Nov. 1, Groton police notified Harvard dispatch that they had just recovered a 2006 Mercedes that had been stolen from Harvard, although they found no stolen vehicle reports about such a car. Officer Newman reported that just as this call came in, dispatch received a call from a resident on Whitney Road reporting that his Mercedes had been stolen from his barn. The car was transported to the Harvard police station, where a team from the state police crime lab inspected it for evidence. The car had been totaled, with every window smashed and every side damaged.
On Saturday afternoon a caller notified police about a red GMC truck that had been vandalized and abandoned on Sherry Road. Police discovered that the truck, which had its rear window smashed, had been stolen around 1 a.m. that day from Lunenburg. The state police crime lab team was also called in to inspect this vehicle for evidence.
Newman said that while canvassing the area for evidence, police found several instances of cars that had been ransacked the same day. Apparently, after abandoning the red truck, he said, thieves looked through unlocked cars along the road and stole loose change, flashlights—whatever they could find. In most cases, said Newman, no one had reported the petty thefts because they seemed so minor.
All of these cases remain under investigation by local and state police.
Newman praised the efforts of the newly formed neighborhood watch group on Park Lane.
“A lot of these crimes can be stopped or prevented if people would call us,” he said. “People don’t report the things they should be reporting.”
Newman said the police would be happy to support other neighborhood watch groups as well. “If anyone else is interested, we’ll back them as much as we can,” he said.
Anyone interested in information about forming a neighborhood watch group can call the police station at 978-456-1212.
