Burglary, theft rates across midstate keep investigators hustling

Valerie Russell knows all too well the burglary problem plaguing Georgia law enforcement officers.

Since last fall, her home near downtown Macon has been broken into four times, adding to statewide statistics that show an average of 300,000 reported burglaries and thefts across Georgia each year -- the state's No. 1 one crime problem.

"It's just a nightmare. It makes me scared," Russell said recently.

Not only has she replaced television sets, a gun and her grandchildren's electronics, but she's lost jewelry, clothing and shoes.

Russell has been battling her insurance company over the repeated claims.

"We've been going through a lot," said the newlywed, who is living in the same house she grew up in.

About five years ago, Russell moved back into the house her mother had for about 46 years.

Only recently has there been trouble.

"I'm mad about the fact that they keep breaking into my house, and I'm mad about paying $126 in homeowners insurance. The third break-in, I didn't even report to the insurance company because it's like a lose-lose situation."

In recent weeks, Russell and her husband have spent thousands of dollars on a monitored alarm system, privacy fence, burglar bars and surveillance cameras.

During the last break-in, the thief pried off the newly installed bars and damaged the window frame.

They have since added a trained pit bull to their backyard.

Sheriff David Davis said Russell is doing everything right in trying to protect her property. She hasn't had a break-in since last month.

Last year, the number of reported burglaries increased 16 percent in Bibb County, but thefts were down 10 percent, according to the Bibb County Sheriff's Office.

The problem is not Bibb's alone.

Putnam County Sheriff Howard Sills said about 90 percent of his reported crimes are burglaries and thefts.

"Stealing is a big problem," he said.

Early this year, Bibb County launched its third burglary task force initiative after going over the statistics.

"We can talk about crime going up or down ... by whatever percentages it does, but if any one person is a victim of a crime, crime is up 100 percent at their house, and we are very aware of that fact," Davis said recently.

Through the task force initiative, they discovered last summer that criminals are getting more innovative, he said.

"They were hiding in people's Herbie Curbies to hide from the sheriff's deputies," Davis said. If they will go to the lengths of hiding in a garbage can, they're pretty desperate and they're pretty -- not wanting to get caught."

When they are caught, the offenders often go back to burglarizing when they get out.

"We can arrest 'em and get 'em into the prison system. We just wish they would stay a bit longer or stay out of our midst a while," Davis said.

This week, one of his investigators noticed a convicted burglar on the streets who had been sentenced to 10 years in prison two years ago.

"He's already back on the street," Davis said.

Earlier this month, a deputy spotted a man walking down the street with a television and a sack of meat.

After his arrest, investigators learned that he's been in the Bibb County Law Enforcement Center three times for burglary in the last three years and has a large stack of similar incidents in his criminal record from Laurens County.

The investigation is ongoing to determine whether the man is responsible for recent burglaries around Russell's neighborhood, just a few blocks south of the jail.

Davis said the department's recent shift to an all-digital reporting system will help them track hot spots for thieves in the county.

Instead of paper reports sitting on an officer's desk, the computerized information will be immediately available to supervisors and investigators.

"As soon as an incident report is completed and the deputy hits enter on it, the investigators have instant access to it," Davis said.

Russell's alarm system was operating during her last break-in at 5:48 p.m., but there was a 30-minute lag in response time.

By the time she got the message at work, called back the alarm company and answered their questions so they could call 911, 10 minutes had already passed.

It took her about 15 minutes to get home, where she waited another 15 minutes for a deputy.

"My husband and I work too hard to keep putting money in this house because of what someone else is doing, and it's just crazy," she said. "That's a problem to the point that the insurance company wants to drop me," she said. "It's a nightmare, knowing someone has been all in your house."

To contact writer Liz Fabian, call 744-4303 and follow her on Twitter@liz_lines.

This story was originally published March 24, 2016 at 7:39 PM with the headline "Burglary, theft rates across midstate keep investigators hustling ."