The following Crime Watch notices have been forwarded to the Woodruffs by Deputy Walter Wolf of the Lake County Sheriff's department. He can be reached as follows:

9/6/09

Just wanted to bring everyone up to date on several issues. First of all we have once again had a rash of vehicle brake-ins from various areas of the county. As usual the vast majority of the vehicles are unlocked. We are seeing a higher then normal number of vehicles being broken into that they are actually breaking a window or prying open a door to take things of value that are in plain sight(such as GPS systems, I-Pods, Computers, Wallets, and Purses). Please lock your doors and never leave things of value in plain sight. We made an arrest in the Grand Island area of a juvenile that was caught in a vehicle attempting to take articles from the vehicle. As in past cases where arrests have been made he stated that all he was doing was targeting unlocked vehicles.

In the Astor area we have had several unoccupied homes broken into. Being the home owners are not there the brake-ins are not being discovered for several days then only when someone goes by to do a routine check of the house. If you are watching a house for any one that is away I would recommend to check it if at all possible every couple of days and every day if possible. The good news is that in several of those brake-ins we have a person of interest and a warrant has been issued in at least one of the break-ins.

We have had several brake-ins in the Paisley, Lake Mack areas where we also have a suspect that we are looking at.

In the Sorrento Mount Plymouth areas we have several unlocked vehicles broken into. In the Tavares Mount Dora area we have had a couple of homes were entry was attempted by trying to remove a window air conditioner.

In the Clermont Groveland area trailers and lawn equipment appears to be the target along with unlocked vehicles

We arrested three juveniles south of Clermont after being caught hiding in a house that was reported being broken into. Down in the four corners area of the county (HWY 27 and 192 area) sort term vacation retails are still the main target.

I also would ask those of you that are active in church to please alert your pastors that there appears to be an organized theft ring working the North and Central part of the state that are only targeting church offices. They have been breaking into the offices or in some cases the church itself the nights after there has been church services. They are looking for the collection offerings. In one North Florida Church break in they even took a several hundred pound safe. So far we have not had any in Lake County but there have been a total of 18 in surrounding counties.

Hope all have a safe Labor Day holiday.

8/11/09

Just to let everyone know that we are seeing an increase of motorcycles being stolen from all areas of the county. We have also have had several trailers taken from various areas of the county, two of the trailers in the Clermont area also had lawn equipment on them. One of the trailers in the Tavares area had a boat and motor on it. We also had a travel trailer taken from the Clermont area.

Just as a reminder please make sure to safely secure any firearms that you may own as we have had several taken this past week from various home and vehicle break-ins.

7/31/09

Just wanted to let every one know that there have been several arrests in the rash of car burglaries in the Leesburg and 473 areas. We have recovered some of the property but not near all of it. What I wanted to say is the suspects stated that they were only targeting the unlocked cars, because it was quick and quite.

Also we are still seeing trailers, lawn equipment, and ATV’s that are being taken from all areas of the county. The scams and frauds are still out there; just remember no one is going to give you something for nothing. Also remember to never give any of your personal identification or banking account information to anyone that you do not know and that you have not initiated the process.

7/15/09

Just for every ones information during the past week we have had an extremely high number of cars broken into. The break- ins are accruing within all areas of Lake County . Last night in one neighborhood near Leesburg we had six vehicles broken into, none of which were locked. In the vast majority of the break-ins the vehicles are unlocked.

Those of you that have been receiving my e-mails for any length of time know that this has been one of my pet peeves for a long time. I am just amazed that any one will leave there vehicles unlocked or with things of value in plain sight. Please pass the word onto your friends and neighbors to lock there vehicles and set the alarms if so equipped.

7/10/09

Looks like trailers, lawn equipment and ATV’s are the hot items for theft this week. These items have been reported stolen from all areas of the county (most of them have been reported in the Clermont, and Groveland areas). Several homes from various areas of the county were broken into where TV’s, electronic equipment, and jewelry were the main items reported stolen. In the Astor area fishing equipment was the target. In the Fruitland Park , Lady Lake area electronic equipment was reported as being taken out of boats. Once again vehicle burglaries were the number one problem. GUESS WHAT? ALL WERE UNLOCKED. Please do not leave any thing of value in your vehicles overnight, and lock and set vehicle alarms if equipped. We do have some people of interest in the vehicle burglaries in the Leesburg area. Remember in the vehicle burglaries in most cases it’s a crime of opportunity were all they do is walk neighborhoods after dark and just check car doors for the unlocked vehicles—then you become a victim.

6/23/09

First of all I would like to apologize to any one that has sent me an e-mail and I have not responded back to you. I have once again had some computer issues. We think that we have everything back to normal but in the process some of my e-mails were permanently deleted before I could respond to them. So if you sent me an e-mail within the last month and you expected a reply please resend it and I will get back to you as soon as possible. We are in the process of moving the community services section back to the Lake Square Mall so it may be a couple of days before I respond.

I would like to bring something to everyone’s attention. During the last three weeks we have several homes broken into in various locations of the county. What is alarming is that in at least six of these brake-ins neighbors saw something that appeared suspicious, but for various reasons did not report it to law enforcement. Please if something appears suspicious call us right away so that we can come and check them out. As Sheriff Borders and I have said we would rather you call us and it be nothing rather then not call us and it be something.

We have had a generator, air conditioner, and golf cart taken from three different locations in the in the Astor area. A four wheeler and trailer was taken from the Groveland area. We have had several vehicles in the Clermont area broken into and various items taken from them, in one incident we even had a vehicle jacked up and left on blocks after the thief took the tires and rims from the vehicle. We are still seeing a rather high number of trailers both empty and with various equipment and tools on them being taken from all locations within the county.

I would like to bring something that I feel is important to every ones attention. During the last several months we have had an alarming number of hand guns taken from both locked and unlocked vehicles. Please never leave a hand gun overnight in an unattended vehicle and always set the alarm if so equipped.

Just as an informational note most home break-ins take place during the day time hours while vehicle break-ins take place during the night time hours.

Hope that every one has a safe week end.

5/25/09

Several things to report, but first of all regarding the Retired Law Enforcement Weapons Qualification scheduled for Saturday June 20^th. At this time the Qualification is full. If you did not RSVP do not worry as we will be setting up another qualification date in the future. I’ll let you know as soon as we have a date.

We are still seeing a LOT OF UNLOCKED VEHICLES being broken into from all parts of the county; please pass the word to lock your vehicles and do not leave anything of value in plain sight. Above all else do not leave your keys in the vehicle. We are seeing a lot of vehicle thefts where the keys were left in the vehicle.

We have had several golf carts taken from the Clermont and Howey In The Hills areas.

We have started seeing the thefts of generators (Possibly due to the weather. When we have bad weather we see an increase of generator thefts). Also we have had several trailers taken from various locations around the county. A couple of them had lawn equipment on them and one in the Clermont area had a couple of jet skies on it.

We have had several residential brake-ins in the Yalaha and Eustis areas where several firearms were taken. If possible try and lock firearms in a safe place, especially those that you normally don’t use.

Hope all are having a safe Memorial Day.

5/3/09

Just a reminder of scam’s. There are literally hundreds of different scams out there. As I have advised in the past always be careful of any thing you receive through any of the various systems out there i.e. phone, e-mail, regular mail, ect,ect. One of the newer ones out there is a scam involving individuals posing as bank clerks or law enforcement officers. The bank scam usually starts with a phone call from someone posing as a bank examiner and that they need your help in catching a dishonest employee. They may ask for cash from your account or personal bank information from you. Remember if some one that you do not know gets in touch with you advising that they represent your bank tell them you will come to the bank and discuss the problem with the branch manager. Usually they will try to talk you into doing it there way or just hang up on you. If in doubt hang up and call your bank or go to your bank.

If some one calls you or approaches you claiming to be a law enforcement officer and needs you to give him or her any of the following a certain amount of cash, your personal identification information, or your bank or credit card information don’t do it . A law enforcement officer will never ask you for money. If they are a certified law enforcement officer conducting a legitimate investigation there is certain information that they may need, but they will never ask you for cash.

We have seen an increase of daytime home burglaries in the Long Acres and Mt. Plymouth golf areas. They appear to only be after plasma televisions leaving every thing else alone.

As always if you see any thing that appears to be suspicious call law enforcement as soon as possible. If you can get a tag number of suspicious vehicles and descriptions of suspicious people without putting yourself in danger it would be a great help.

Just a reminder that when I send out an e-mail I generally send it to my self then blind copy it to all the crime watch people. Doing it this way should prevent you from getting the several hundred e-mail addresses of everyone that I have sent the e-mail to.

As always thanks to all of you for your commitment to the crime watch program.

4/25/09

...Just asking a favor, please remind all your friends and neighbors to always lock there car doors no matter where there car may be parked at. During the past week we have had an unusual number of GPS systems taken from unlocked vehicles from all locations within Lake County . Never leave anything of value in plain view even if you are one that does lock your car. We are still seeing a rather high number of utility style trailers being taken from various locations around the county.

Be safe and drive extra careful with all the motorcycles in the area this weekend.

4/7/09

Just a reminder about certain solicitors. If some one shows up at your home unexpectedly with a story of having an order of meat left over from a delivery. And that he would rather sell it to you well below the suggested delivery price rather then having to take it back to the warehouse. I would strongly suggest not buying it. Especially BEING YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT THEM OR THE PRODUCT. Politely tell them that you are not interested, and try if you can to get a tag number of there vehicle without being obvious. Then call law enforcement so that they can check them out.

Also beware of any unsolicited material received through the mail or internet offering you something for nothing. Remember the old saying IF ITS TO GOOD TO BE TRUE ITS PROBABLY NOT TRUE. There are more elaborate scams and frauds being perpetrated then ever before. Please don't become a victim.

As always when out and about always beware of your surroundings and what is going on around you.

In the last week we have seen an increase in the theft of ATV's and dirt bikes in the Leesburg and Clermont areas.

My last bit of advice for today is LOCK DOORS, LOCK DOORS, AND LOCK DOORS. Do I need to say more?

2/20/09

…Good evening everyone. After receiving numerous inquiries regarding an e-mail that is circulating the internet I felt that I needed to address this issue. The e-mail in question appears to be a hoax that has popped up from time to time since 2005. The e-mail warns of certain criminal activities involving gangs that are to take place at local Wal- Mart shopping Centers. All Intelligence information that we have access to indicates that this hoax has circulated several times mainly in southern states since 2005.

As always though never say never, and remember to always be cautious when out and about, and always report any thing that you feel is suspicious.

We are still having trailers being stolen from various areas of the county. Remember trailer locks do help.

2/15/09

Just wanted to let every one know that we are still seeing homes in various areas of the county being broken into (rear sliding glass doors in several of them) what they appear to be after is jewelry only. They appear to know what they are after and know the difference between the real stuff and costume jewelry. If at all possible please try and make sure that your sliding glass doors are secure when you leave and use secondary locking devices such as pins or brace’s. It just helps to secure the doors (and set security alarms to the on position when leaving). Also you may want to think about putting your good jewelry in places other then the common places, such as your top dresser drawer, or in a jewelry box that you leave out in plain view in either the bedroom or bathroom. If need be invest in a heavy lock box or safe. You can be as creative as you want for example you can use the lock box as a decoy and keep the costume jewelry in it and hide your good stuff some where else.

I would also just like to reemphasize to those of you that live in gated communities, please don’t take the security of your home for granted just because you live in a gated community. Lock your doors and set your alarms when leaving even for a short period of time. Also as in any community always lock your car doors when ever the vehicle is parked out side.

2/11/09

Just wanted to let every one know that we are seeing a significant raise in car burglaries from various locations around the county, noticeably the North West part of the county. Guess what over 90% of these are unlocked vehicles, I just don’t understand why some one just wont lock there car doors. In one incident a lady not only left her car unlocked she left her windows down and her purse on the front seat while she went into a store. We are still having a rather high number of trailers being taken in the Tavares and Clermont areas.

1/2/09

Hope all had a Happy and safe new year. Being solicitation seems to be a issue with a lot of communities from around the county I just wanted to bring everyone up to speed. I went to the Clerk of the Court and obtained a copy of the requirements for those needing a home solicitation permit. BOY AM I EVEN MORE CONFUSED as to who does and does not need a permit.

First of all its not a easy permit to get that's probably why so many people try to get by without obtaining one.

What is very confusing is who is excluded and under what circumstances they are excluded.

The main group that appears to be exempt but are required to have a sales tax exemption certificate are religious,charitable, scientific, educational, or veterans organizations.

The Florida Statutes that addresses home solicitation permits can be found in Florida Statues 501.021, and 501.022. any specific questions get back to me and I'll give you a call.

We are still seeing trailers being taken mainly in the Eustis area.

Walter

12/17/08

Some sad news to report, We have had several reported Santa stabbings from various locations around the county. Now for some good news it appears that with some tedious patch repair work Santa has survived the numerous attacks and will still be able to make his rounds on December 24th.

All joking aside vandalism to Christmas decorations is on the rise and for what ever reasons they appear to be targeting the blow up Santa decorations.

Just as a repeated warning never let any one into your home that just shows up unannounced and is trying to sell you something. Ask to see there solicitation permit from the Lake County Clerk of the Courts Office. This permit is required to be able to do door to door solicitation. If they do not have a permit call Law Enforcement or even if they have a permit and things just don't seem right still call us so we can check them out. Some of these people can be very intimidating in there attempt to get you to buy something, just be very cautious there are just way to many scams and frauds going on.

Also for those that have inquired about the recent home invasion that took place in the Montverde area at this time does not appear to be a random crime.

12/10/08

Just a update to the e-mail I sent out yesterday reference scams. I should have mentioned that some of the newer ones advising that they represent certain financial institutions look very authentic. If you should receive one and you have not personally contacted the institution to start some type of contact with them then call the institution to determine the authenticity of the e-mail, but never call a number that they may have furnished in the unwanted e-mail. Look up a number for them using a phone book.

Please pass on to all your friends and neighbors a reminder to lock there home and vehicle doors and above all else don't ever leave your keys in your vehicle (Do I need to say any more?).

12/9/08

Just wanted to remind everyone that this is the time of year that we see all types of frauds and scams. We are seeing a rather higher then normal number of e-mail, and regular mail type scams. Just remember be very cautious of anyone that out of the blue for what ever reason is requesting your personnel ID information or money. (Mater of fact according to three e-mails that I personally have received within the last 30 days I have mysteriously inherited approximately 7.5 million and its only going to cost me approximately 12,000 dollars not a bad return) and why am I still working ?

Its already started we have started seeing the theft and vandalism of Christmas decorations from various locations around the county.

Also we are seeing the theft of boating equipment up to and including boats motors, and trailers. We have also started seeing a increase in trailer thefts again.

We have made several arrests regarding vehicle break-ins in the north east part of the county.

You may have seen in the news about a couple of arrests out of Osceola County regarding a couple of people that specialized in brake-ins of vacation homes in South Lake County, Osceola County, Orange County, and Polk County. Hopefully this will have a impact on the number of brake-ins that we have been experiencing in the south end of the county.

Hope that everyone is doing ok during these difficult economic times and can still have a happy holiday season.

11/21/08

Just wanted to report several things. As I have stated we are entering the time of year that we see more scams and frauds then normal. Please be cautious of any one that offers you a deal that sounds to good to be true. Trust me it will turn out not to be true.

We have received several reports from the 441 Mall area, and the 473 Bassville Park area of a couple of young men approaching homes and portraying themselves as working for Comcast. In a couple of incidents they engaged the home owner in conversation and requested entry into the residents so that the could check the Comcast equipment. One time they were reported as driving a older green car and in another they were driving a older dark blue car, and in yet another they were possibly in a white pick up. A check with Comcast reveled that Comcast does not send people out to solicit business and if they are in a neighborhood doing any type of repair work they will be in a marked Comcast vehicle. When in doubt call Law Enforcement and never let anyone into your home unless you have called for a certain type of service and are expecting them.

Also we are still seeing a rather high number of vehicles being burglarized especially in the Clermont, Clermont South areas. Vast majority of the vehicles are UNLOCKED.

If you suspect that someone has entered into your vehicle but can not find anything missing, just that your vehicle has been ransacked still call us for a report. This will give us a better idea as to what may be happening in certain neighborhoods.

Last year we had a rather high number of vandalism to Christmas decorations reported, I hope that it does not continue this year.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone and have a happy and safe holiday.

11/14/08

Hello folks,

I had a call from Judi C. tonight and it's a bit disturbing. A condensed version is that yesterday she filled up her car and made note of the odometer reading. She estimates she drove about 16-20 miles thereafter and returned home. This morning when she went out to go to work her car's odometer was down and she estimates about 5 gallons of gas are unaccounted for. This has apparently happened once before to them. While not 100% positive she feels pretty certain her car was locked. She has the type of gas tank lid that you pop from inside the car so she called the dealer and he told her that they are certainly not full-proof and if someone had some knowledge it would be possible to get the lid opened.

She just wanted everyone to be aware of a possible situation going on in our own neighborhood. If this is happening the creepiest part is someone is roaming our neighborhood late into the night/early mornings. If you have a vehicle you have to leave out you might want to consider a "lock w/key" gas tank closure and they are available at the new parts store in town. Despite the security system and the locking of vehicles Judi figures they will now install motion lights out on the driveway. It's a sad situation we are experiencing but I guess we shouldn't be too surprised. Deputy Walter is constantly harping on just this type of thing. So heads up! Thanks, Susan (See additional info below)

11/15/08 (Related to above above Alert)

Hi everybody,

I just needed to clarify something. It wasn't my odometer ... we have a separate milage gauge in my car. When I fill the car, it tells me how many miles I can go on that particular tank of gas. Between 10:00 on Thursday night and 7:00 on Friday morning the gauge showed I had used approx. 90 miles that I really hadn't used. If I figure that out, it is approx. what a five gallon can would take. There was also dirt around my gas cap. The dirt part happened once before about a month ago, but I didn't figure it out really pay too much attention to it. What got my eye this time was the milage gauge. If Paul's car had been outside we never would have missed 5 gallons unless we were checking milage manually. He doesn't have a gauge.

This is just a wake-up so we all keep our eyes real wide open ........

Judi

11/5/08

Just wanted to remind everyone that as we enter into the holiday season its that time of the year that we see certain scams resurface . One in particular that we have already started seeing is the paving scams. If any one comes to your house trying to sell you a paving job (beware) Ask to see there solicitation permit. This permit is required in Lake County to solicit door to door. If they have not got a permit call Law Enforcement.

10/22/08

Just wanted to clarify a question that was asked of me recently. When a specialty law enforcement unit shows up in a certain community (i.e.-swat team, bomb squad, ect: ect:) I am in most cases not at liberty to pre warn any community of there pending arrival or in most cases what they are even doing there. In some cases even I am not aware of what is going on. If its something that is a threat to the community some one from law enforcement will alert the residents as to the emergency.

Good news Bad news-Bad news we are still seeing an awful lot of vehicles being broken into county wide (I'm not even going to tell you that they are being left unlocked). Good news is that in the Bassville Park area we are about to arrest four juveniles for braking into unlocked vehicles (over twenty). As I have said this type of crime is usually a crime of opportunity. Please don't help a good kid go bad lock your doors.

10/12/08

we are seeing a rather high number of vehicles in the Clermont area being broken into. Almost all were left unlocked and the few that were locked had things of value in plain view and a window was broken to gain access.

Several trailers taken from various locations around the county (None had any type of trailer locking device).

The hot spot for home break-ins is still the very south end of the county were they are targeting the vacation rental homes.

We are still seeing a rather high number of weapons being taken out of both homes and vehicles after they are broken into. Please if you do have weapons go that extra step to secure them or make it more difficult to find them if they do get into your home or vehicle. (Not being in plain view would help especially inside your homes).

Also just as a reminder to a previous alert I recently sent out. This is the time of year that we normally see an increase in various types of scams and frauds. Just be cautious a scam can be either in person, by mail, or e-mail.

10/6/08

Wanted to mention several items. We are still seeing trailers taken from various locations around the county. We are having unlocked vehicles still being broken into (also various areas of the county). I would like to ask all of you that have young children to periodically talk to them about not talking or approaching strangers. We may have had a case this past Friday were a elderly gentleman may have tried to lour a couple of young children to his vehicle in the Mount Dora area. We are not for sure of his true motives as there was also a elderly female also in the vehicle. Never less please make sure to talk to your young-ones about the dangers of someone trying to possibly pick them up. Also with Halloween approaching make sure to pick a save area to trick or treat (such as a school or church).

9/19/08

Just want to let everyone know that in the last couple of days we have had gas stolen out of a large number of boats and recreational vehicles that were parked at storage areas. So far the thefts have mainly been in the Clermont area of the County. In one storage area alone gas was taken from eight boats

9/8/08

Just wanted to let everyone know especially the very south end of the county that we are seeing a rather high number of homes being broken into and electronic equipment especially big screen TV's are being taken. So far most of the brake-ins have been mainly the vacation retail homes. We are still seeing lot of vehicles being broken into that are being left unlocked.

8/26/08

We have had several cars broken into in the area east of Clermont towards the county line. One vehicle was also stolen guess what all the cars were left unlocked and the vehicle that was stolen had the keys in the ignition. All the vehicles were parked in the driveways or on the street in front of the homes. As I have said over and over lock your doors, remember a lot of the vehicle and home break ins are crimes of opportunity. Take away the opportunity and you may not become a victim.

8/20/08

Just to let everyone know we have had multiple vehicle burglaries in the following areas. The 473 area, old 441 in the Tavares, Mount Dora areas, Howey in the Hills and Yalaha areas, Clermont South areas, and the HWY 27 and HWY 19 areas. Oh ya guess what ? 96% of the vehicles were left unsecured--(NOT LOCKED). Recently I had a crime watch meeting in the Sorrento area and prior to the meeting I road around the neighborhood as I usually do. This time I stopped at several different residents and checked 10 vehicles that were either parked in the driveway or on the road in front of the house. I found 4 of the 10 unlocked!!!!!!!!!!

We have had several homes in the HWY 27 South of Leesburg area buggerized.

We are still having trailer thefts from various locations around the county.

We have had two boats taken one in the Leesburg area and a boat and trailer in the Astor area.

8/5/08

I would like to ask all of you to do me a favor. Please pass the word around to your friends and neighbors to please lock their car doors when leaving it unattended no matter where it may be located at. I know that this sounds like a broken record on my part, but we are seeing a unusually high number of unlooked cars being broken into from various locations around the county. The scary thing is that several of these cars had firearms in them that were taken.

We are also seeing a higher then usual number of homes being broken into in the northeast part of the county.

7/25/08

Just want to remind everyone to please make sure to secure your vehicles at all times, and don't leave things of value in plain view. Also if you have a weapon in the vehicle always make sure to at least lock it in the trunk or glove compartment when leaving the vehicle, and never leave it in the vehicle overnight. We have had several vehicles that have had weapons taken out of them after being broken into. Also we have had several RV type vehicles broken into while parked at storage areas. If you have vehicles parked at storage areas you may want to occasionally check them to make sure that they are still secure.

6/16/08

Just wanted to alert everyone to a problem that we are starting to see mostly in the rural areas of the county. What is happing is that thieves are stealing the coils and copper tubing from outside home air conditioner units. Just be alert to what is going on around your neighbors homes.

We have had several home break-ins from various locations around the county but with no apparent pattern to them.

We have had several cars broken into in a couple of different neighborhoods in the very south end of the county. What they are doing is breaking out the windows to get items that are being left in plain view in locked cars.

We are having the same problem in the Sorrento area except they are breaking into unlocked cars. Please don't leave things of value in your cars and lock the doors.

We are seeing a higher then normal theft and attempted theft of coins from coin machines at launder mats from all areas of the county.

On a nicer note I have most of the photos from the awards at the Crime Watch BBQ. I will start this week getting them to you. It may take me awhile but I will get them all done (by the end of the year)--Just joking. One of the problems is that as I'm getting older I still recognize most of you, but putting a name to a face is getting harder and harder to do. I will also be delivering awards to several of you that I talked to and were not able to attend the BBQ. Just for everyone's information we had over 450 people at the BBQ with 125 award's being given.

5/09/08

Just wanted to remind every one for the _______time please lock your vehicles when parked at your homes. We have had several vehicles in the Montverde area broken into that were left unlocked. Another weapon is on the street because it was left in a unlocked vehicle. Please remind your neighbors and friends to lock there vehicles and never leave things of value in them especially overnight.

5/08/08

We are still seeing gas being taken from vehicles from various areas of the county(lock gas caps will help). We have had several trailers taken from the central part of the county(trailer locks will help).Once again we have had several homes broken into in the highway 27 area south of Leesburg and north of the turnpike. If you have home alarms I would suggest activating them when you leave for any length of time. Remember call us with any suspicious activity as soon as possible.