This story was in the news this week here in Texas:
The thief who stole Williford's electric scooter the night of Jan. 4 apparently didn't read the sign. It may be tongue-in-cheek, but it's also true.Williford, who is 80 years old, a Texas native and barely five feet tall, has a 12-gauge shotgun she loads each night and keeps beside her bed. She doesn't intend to be robbed again. Other neighbors, she said, also have guns.The loss of her burgundy-red Rascal scooter was a serious blow. Williford has arthritis and COPD and used to take the scooter on regular trips up the bike path and to the Plaza. It got her outdoors and into the sun. Now she has to drive her gas-guzzling Lincoln to get there. But she wasn't the only victim of a thief or thieves who have targeted the Rancho de Sonoma mobile-home park since before Christmas.
On the night of Dec. 1, thieves broke into the clubhouse at the park and took a computer, a monitor, a TV and a VCR. Then, a few days after stealing Williford's scooter, someone carted off three nail guns and two electric saws from an unlocked tool shed beside the mobile home of 79-year-old James Martin. Martin, who is retired and does voluntary odd jobs for neighbors, said the tools were worth at least $400 and he can't afford to replace them."They knew what they was lookin' for," said Martin. "They come up from the creek and from Maxwell Farms."The proximity of Sonoma Creek and its trail system offers easy access to and from the tranquil park and makes it harder for police to patrol the area. Last week a third park resident reported someone tried to open her locked door while she was at home. Alarmed, she called police who responded quickly and searched the park but found no one.Rancho de Sonoma is not the only site in Sonoma suffering from crime. Early Friday morning a spate of auto and home burglaries occurred on the west side of town and centered around Olsen Park. At least eight autos and homes were burglarized and numerous items were stolen, including GPS units, cameras, stereo face plates and a small amount of cash.
Responding to two early morning calls from residents who heard noises, police found a string of autos with doors or trunks open. The thieves took a garage door opener from one vehicle, used it to open the garage door and rifled the car parked inside.Police estimate the value of all items taken may exceed $3,000.The pattern of auto burglaries matched earlier incidents from Oct. 29 and Dec. 1. In the October case, thieves found a garage door opener in an unlocked car, opened the garage where they found a Ford Expedition, entered the home, found a purse with keys to the Ford, and stole the Ford.
In the December case, thieves hit seven cars and homes in one night, in a pattern very similar to Friday's events. In response to these crimes, police urged citizens to lock their vehicles and residences and to keep all personal belongings, garage remotes and any other valuable items out of plain view.Maybe most affected by the recent burglaries are the elderly residents of Rancho de Sonoma. Williford was speaking for many when she said, "You feel like you've been violated. You wonder who's looking in your window. The majority of us here are old ladies just trying to make the next birthday."Old lady or not, Williford knows her way around guns. She said her late husband was "a hunter and a cattleman," and added, "I've never had a pistol. Pistols are for killing people. Rifles and shotguns are for putting food on the table." She deftly displays her shotgun, even though it's almost taller than she is.
Park manager Donna Oliver said she shares her residents' concerns and urged all of them to leave outside lights on to discourage prowlers. She said residents concerned about increased energy costs could get free cfl bulbs from her which use much less electricity."I've also encouraged people to cut the bushes down near windows and to close their blinds at night," she said.
Yup, only in Texas! Only in Texas!
