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Two more homes - one in Stone Camp and one in Stonehenge - were entered by a burglar who strikes at night while the occupants are asleep.
Winona Lake Police Chief Malcolm Gilbert said late this morning that a burglar entered the home of William and Amy Stephenson, 2931 Prestwick Road, in the Stonehenge subdivision sometime around 2 a.m. today.
The intruder entered the home through a service door at the rear of an attached garage. Gilbert said the lock on the door was not functioning properly.
The burglar entered the home through a door inside the garage that led into the house. That door was not locked, Gilbert said.
Once inside the home, the burglar grabbed Stephenson's purse from a couch in the living room and fled.
The occupants of the home were not awakened during the burglary. The purse contained about $30 in cash.
The second burglary occurred in Stone Camp subdivision, at the home of David Delp, 12 Stone Camp Trail, Gilbert said. Another Winona officer worked that burglary and the report was not immediately available. Gilbert planned to visit the Stone Camp crime scene late this morning or early this afternoon to continue that investigation. No other information was available.
He noted that bicycle tracks in dew-covered grass indicated the burglar attempted to enter as many as ten homes in the Stonehenge subdivision before gaining entry to the Stephenson home. Gilbert said screen doors on the homes had been opened as the burglar tried to gain entry.
The burglar approached at least one other home in Stone Camp.
Gilbert estimated the time of the burglary to be approximately 2 a.m. During his investigation this morning, one Stonehenge resident reporting hearing a noise at about that time.
Police believe the burglar was at Stonehenge first and then traveled to Stone Camp.
The two nighttime burglaries early today brings the total number of those types of burglaries to 43 since May. Police believe the same person may be responsible for many if not all of the burglaries.
A reward of $6,000 is being offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible. The reward is being offered through Kosciusko County Crimestoppers at 800-342-STOP (7867).
