Rash of daytime burglaries plague The Woodlands

THE WOODLANDS, TX (KTRK) -- Many neighbors in The Woodlands are being warned after a rash of home burglaries. The thieves are hitting in the daytime, when most people aren't home.

Investigators believe the burglaries are connected. They think the suspects may be surveying neighborhoods, waiting for the victims to go to work.

The mother of a burglary victim, Elaine Hoagland, said, "My daughter left for work at around 9 o'clock in the morning and they hit about that time."

Hoagland flew in from Arizona when she heard her daughter's home was burglarized earlier this month. She describes the thieves as relentless.

"They tried to get into the back door. They kicked it and couldn't get in. So they came around to the garage and got in, I don't know how, and tried to kick that door down," Hoagland explained. "Then they came around to the front, which was a wooden door and they splintered it and tore the whole side out."

Maggie the dog was home alone at the time.

"They left the computer here by the door, so I'm assuming that the dog somehow got involved, got outside or something, and was barking and scared them so they left," Hoagland theorized.

The Montgomery County Sheriff's office is investigating 10 similar burglaries over the past three weeks. They've all happened during the day, presumably when people are working.

Lt. Dan Norris with the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office said, "It has the appearances that somebody's knocking on the front door and if the resident is not home, they're going toward the back and either entering through a door or window."

Deputies are now searching for the three men they believe are responsible.

"The patrol district has increased the patrol numbers during those peak hours when those burglaries are occurring," Lt. Norris explained.

But Hoagland is still installing metal doors and a new security system at her daughter's home, just in case.

"Spooky -- you think someone's coming back, maybe," she said. "But why would they? They took the TV and all her jewelry and all her stuff."

Investigators believe the suspects may be driving a late 1990s to early 2000 model Cadillac. Anyone with information is asked to contact the sheriff's office.

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