Camarillo Neighborhood Declares War on Burglars

A rash of burglaries in the upscale Mission Oaks neighborhood has residents scrambling to set up a Neighborhood Watch group, install alarm systems and slap deadbolts on their doors.

“People in the neighborhood do not want it to happen again--at least not on our street,” said Barbara Hemmens, who lives on San Onofre Drive.

Residents of the usually peaceful neighborhood thought they could rest easy when police connected three Camarillo teenagers April 2 to 13 home burglaries that occurred in the area during February and March.

“Most people in Mission Oaks thought it was over . . . but then neighbors on either side of me got burglarized last Friday,” said Teresa Toomey, who also lives on San Onofre.

Rather than live in fear of when her house might get hit, Toomey and her daughters circulated 150 fliers earlier this week announcing the burglaries and a description of the suspects: four white males in their late teens who drove a gray hatchback.

“We were outside when it happened, playing in the backyard on the swings,” said Kelly Toomey, 11. “It’s pretty scary.”

The flier also announces a Neighborhood Watch meeting April 23. More than 50 residents are expected to attend the meeting to hear suggestions from Ventura County sheriff’s deputies.

The large lots in the neighborhood provide privacy, but have a down side when it comes to burglaries “because you just can’t hear anything,” said Toomey, who said she has never encountered problems during her 10 years on San Onofre Drive.

Residents characterized the burglaries April 3 as brazen because they occurred in the middle of the day.

“In this neighborhood, a lot of us are home during the day, and that’s what is so alarming,” said Hemmens, who noticed a suspicious car but thought that it belonged to solicitors.

Since the latest incidents, however, neighbors have been calling each other every time they see a car or person they don’t recognize, and at least one neighbor is installing an alarm system, Hemmens said.

“I will keep living a normal routine, but I’m putting deadbolts on my doors,” she said. “I’ll be more aware of cars on the street, but I will not live in fear of being broken into. It’s getting more crowded in the area and this just comes with the territory.”

Police would not release much information about the most recent burglaries because the investigation is ongoing, but Sgt. Larry Kelley said the burglars took about $3,400 in jewelry and credit cards.

Kelley also said it does not appear that the 13 earlier burglaries are related to the two last week.

Police connected the 13 burglaries to three teenagers after one of them suffered a gunshot wound in the chest March 31. The 16-year-old first claimed that he had been shot by a Latino man while walking along a dirt path between Mulberry Ridge and Woodcreek Road.

But when investigators spoke with the boy again last week, he confessed to accidentally shooting himself while twirling the gun.

After police found stolen property at the boy’s house, he was arrested upon release from St. John’s Regional Medical Center on April 3. The two other boys, ages 16 and 17, were arrested April 2. None of the boys has been named because they are juveniles.

All three were booked at the Camarillo police station, issued notices to appear in Juvenile Court and released to the custody of their parents because they have no prior criminal records.

“But if they’re apprehended a second time, they will probably be booked into juvenile custody because of demonstrating a propensity for continuing criminal behavior,” Kelley said.

The teenagers allegedly stole about $18,400 worth of items that could fit in their backpacks, Kelley said, including jewelry, handguns, video games, laptop computers and hunting knives. Most of the items have been recovered.

The boys would ditch school and hit two to three houses on a quiet street in one afternoon, Kelley said.

“They’d approach the front door, ring the doorbell and if they got no response, they’d look for an easy entry or pry a window open with a screwdriver,” he said.

Even though officials say the first string of burglaries and the most recent two are not related, they add that at least 15 burglaries in three months is an unusual amount for an area such as Mission Oaks.

However, most of the burglaries could have been prevented, Kelley said.

“These kids entered about half of these residences through an open door or an open window,” he said. “Unfortunately, we live in a time when we have to adapt our lifestyle to making sure our houses are secured.”