Authorities in Santa Barbara County are warning residents whose homes back up toward open spaces about a rising trend in burglaries. The warning comes just days after a similar advisory was issued by Ventura County law enforcement.
Several burglaries have been reported in the southern part of Santa Barbara County that includes the city of Santa Barbara, Goleta, Montecito and many of the unincorporated neighborhoods where some of America’s wealthiest residents live.
The two most recent burglaries were reported on Wednesday in Montecito and Carpinteria, officials said.
The burglaries are believed connected as both homes are adjacent to open spaces and the suspects appeared to be targeting safes.
The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office is now warning residents in these towns, as well as communities like Hope Ranch and Summerland, about these burglaries and the common factor that they seem to share.
“In these burglaries, criminals target unoccupied residences that back up to open spaces such as golf courses as well as creeks, streams or the ocean,” a press release from the Sheriff’s Office reads. The crimes also tend to occur between the hours of 6 p.m. and 10 p.m.