Evening Burglaries Occurring Near McLean

  Three burglaries occurred Wednesday night in neighborhoods near McLean, according to McLean District Police Commander Capt. Steve Thompson.

"We're starting to have burglaries again," Capt. Thompson told the Citizens Advisory Council to the McLean Police District Thursday. The burglaries are occurring in the evening when residents are at home, Capt. Thompson.

None of the burglaries has taken place in McLean proper.They are occurring in neighborhoods south of McLean but within the McLean police district, Thompson said.

Thompson urged residents to call 911 if they see something unusual or out of the ordinary.

He cited as examples:

• One of the burglary victims was awakened by a loud crash in his home. The resident got up, checked his front door. Found it locked. Returned to bed. He never bothered to notice that his basement door window had been smashed, Thompson said.
• In another incident, a neighbor saw a man with a flashlight in a neighbor's yard in the early morning hours. The resident thought nothing of it.He learned later that  the neighbor's home had been burglarized about the same time.

• Another victim heard her burglar alarm go off. She arose from her bed and turned it off thinking there was a problem with the alarm. She found out the next morning her home had been robbed.

"If you see or hear something, call us," Thompson urged.

Several wealthy McLean neighborhoods were plagued by a serial burglar last fall. Montgomery police arrested a man suspected in a string of burglaries in that county. Fairfax police have said that man is also their serial burglar. The county has yet to place any charges in those cases.