Larchwood, Iowa — Lock your doors. That’s the advice of Lyon County Sheriff Stewart Vander Stoep.
Vander Stoep says they got a call from someone in rural Larchwood on Wednesday afternoon (August 29), reporting a burglary in progress. He says they believe this was a situation in which those responsible knock on the door of the targeted property and if there’s no answer, they attempt to break in. He says that in this case, somebody was home. He says the homeowner called 911 while the alleged attempted burglary was in progress. He says the homeowner threatened to shoot the suspect, and the suspect then ran off.
Vander Stoep says deputies are following a couple of leads, but at last report, no arrests had been made.
Vander Stoep says the Sioux Falls area has had a few similar calls. He doesn’t think that there have been too many attempts in Lyon County yet, but he guessed it probably happens more often than people are aware.
In a related vein, the sheriff says there were fourteen cars entered in Larchwood on a recent night. In these cases, he says the only cars entered were the ones that the suspects found unlocked. He says again, similar issues have been reported in Sioux Falls. He says he’s not sure if the alleged attempted burglary at the home and the burglary of cars are linked or not.
To be sure, Vander Stoep says, “The message has to be, ‘Lock your cars, and lock your houses.'” He says it’s amazing how many people don’t lock their doors.
