Houston crime: Wave of break-ins hits quiet neighborhood, residents fear escalation
HOUSTON - Westbury is a close-knit neighborhood where everyone says they feel safe. But in the last couple of weeks, there's been about 20 burglaries involving the same two thieves.
Resident Charles Mosby showed us how the thieves are gaining entry. His home and several others have a bayou and wooden fence behind their property.
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'They basically bust through the wooden fence, and that's how they get in," Charles said.
Homeowner Robert Parry says he's never seen a crime spree like this one in his neighborhood.
"No, never, and I've been here 60 years," he said.
Pablo Bobbio says he's been hit three times.
"One guy's inside, and they throw things over the fence, and another guy picks up everything" he said.
Right before we arrived, Charles says he found a man living inside the abandoned house next to his property.
"My neighbors, they have small children, and I'm very concerned these guys may become more aggressive, and start breaking into houses with families in them."
"This happens to other people, not me. So now I feel really foolish that I got hit and probably didn't realize it for a day or two," said homeowner Kyle Braun. "My dad passed away a couple of years ago, and I'm still processing that, and he left all these tools that I've been engrossed with since I was a kid. They took it all."
"You feel violated," Robert said. "I've lived there. Never dreamed this would happen, and now I'm locking everything up."
In a statement, District K Councilmember Martha Castex-Tatum says the Precinct 5 Constables Office may have one of the two suspects identified.
She says her office will be monitoring the situation and the vacant home has been escalated to the Department of Neighborhoods.