HOUSTON – Burglars hit four houses in an exclusive Houston neighborhood over the weekend and made a clean getaway, police said.
The 900 homes in the Royal Oaks subdivision are surrounded by a brick wall. There's a private security patrol and only one way in and out for people who aren't residents.
David Orlando said he came home Sunday to find a window broken and most of his wife's jewelry missing.
"They busted a hole, climbed right in, went to the master closet looking for jewelry and cash – anything that's light," Orlando said. "They didn't take any TVs. They didn't take any electronics. They didn't go into the main part of the house."
Three other homes were burglarized in the same way, investigators said.
Orlando said his theory is that the burglars got into the neighborhood by jumping the brick wall at its lowest point, which is near the resident access gates. He said he thinks the thieves walked along the greens to case his house and others.
"You can also see in during the evening and they can tell who's home, who's not home," Orlando said. "Most of what's being hit are the houses on the golf course."
Orlando said the thieves disabled his security camera so they wouldn't be photographed.
"They actually turned the camera into the house to get away," he said.
Orlando said he's only lived in his home for about two months. He said he chose it because the neighborhood seemed so secure.
"I guess the good news is they can't get cars in here, but they're making up for it on foot," he said.
Anyone with information about the break-ins is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS.