Police: Burglaries spike around holidays

Parkton, N.C. — Lisa Jones planned to give her three children – ages 3 to 16 years old – an Xbox 360 and a Nintendo Wii Balance Board for Christmas this year.

On Dec. 17, Jones came home from work to discover the family’s home on Davis Bridge Road had been burglarized.

“Everything was pulled out onto the floor,” Jones said. “Tears just came to my eyes and I just went running to the back of the house.”

Jones said thieves went after electronics, including the toys for the children and the family’s two digital cameras.

“They stole, altogether, I think it was seven game consoles,” she said.

While the family has a security system, Jones said on that day she forgot to set it

The burglars entered by hurling a brick through a high back window and traveling through the crawl space door.

Jones said her youngest children – 3-year-old Chloe and 8-year-old Carrington – have been most upset about the break-in. She said the children often ask if they’ll get their belongings back.

“I basically tell them that there are bad people in the world and there are good people, too,” she said.

The family doesn’t have enough money to replace the electronics, but they did get some help around Christmas.

On Christmas Eve, the non-profit organization Operation Blessing delivered a $300 check to the family and dropped off four bags of clothes at the home of the family’s pastor.

The Hoke County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the robbery but have no suspects.

Thieves have taken more than $30,000 in items during Fayetteville home break-ins in the past week, police reports show. Officers say burglaries normally spike during the holiday season.

Police are said a single mother and her 5-year-old daughter had all of their gifts stolen from their Fayetteville home Monday night. Last week, another family in Cumberland County returned home to find their presents gone.

Law officers say in most cases, stolen items cannot be recovered.