Rash of Burglaries
In Chelsea Area
By Cornelia Cesari

At 2:30 a.m. on Sunday, Jan. 27, Dave Severance was awakened by the loud barking of his three dogs. He was alone at the South Washington home he shares with Hannah Dennison.

He watched from the window as a truck pulled into their parking area and turned off its lights. "There was no car in the driveway, but I thought they heard the dogs and realized someone was home," he reports. "So they started to pull out."

But without four-wheel drive, the truck had trouble climbing the long driveway. By the time Severance was awake and dressed, however, he was alone again. Or so he thought.

Ten minutes later, the dogs began to bark again and Severance looked out the window to see someone shining a flashlight into his shop, which is in an outbuilding on the property. When he turned on the lights in the house, the intruder departed.

There were two other break-ins in the neighborhood that night, Severance later learned.

A nearby camp sustained significant damage after it was broken into and ransacked.

Worse, a West Corinth home was burned to the ground, in what was apparently another unoccupied home invasion. Sgt. Mark Galle, an arson investigator from the Williston Field Station, confirmed the incident.

The fire was not noticed until Sunday, and by the time the Washington Volunteer Fire Department was notified, the fire had "self-extinguished." The seasonal home, still under construction, was a total loss, estimated at $90,000.

The trouble continues.

According to the Orange County Sheriff's Department, there were break-ins at five seasonal homes or camps in the area over the weekend of Feb. 9-10; most were discovered Sunday, Feb. 10. All were forced entries with extensive damage to the buildings including broken windows.

"Some of them were, let's just say, 'trashed,'" reports Captain Mike Welsh. The homes were in Chelsea, Randolph, and Tunbridge, mostly along the Route 110 corridor.

The OCSD advises anyone living near a camp to check for tracks accessing the property and to be aware of suspicious activity. Neighbors are encouraged to call the OCSD if they discover any similar incidents.

Area residents, even in year-round homes, are more at risk than they may realize. According to Sgt. Mark Thomas, of the Middlesex Vermont State Police barracks, "We investigate burglaries on a more or less daily basis."

Whether due to boredom, desperation, or cabin fever, Lt. Tracy Simon of the OCSD warns, "We are coming into a time of increased activity."

She urged residents to take standard precautions, such as locking houses and cars and not leaving car keys dangling in the ignition.

In our rural communities, especially outside the villages, "we have to look out for each other," said Sgt. Galle, "like the old-fashioned 'neighborhood watch.'"