On Monday, Curtis Darnell Williams was apprehended by police in Jacksonville after allegedly breaking into two cars in Lenoir County and stealing a third after breaking into a home.
Williams’ charges exemplified the concern Kinston residents have when it comes to burglaries. In a recent poll by The Free Press of 163 readers at Kinston.com, burglary was the biggest concern by 58 percent of those who answered.
Ed Casper, owner of Wolf Security, had a few tips for residents looking to protect their homes.
“Deadbolt locks are important,” Casper said. “When someone kicks in an average door, the doorframe will break. If you replace the two screws — which are about an inch — with 3-inch screws, they actually go into the actual 2-by-4. Now when the door gets kicked in, they’re also trying to take out a chunk of wall. Also, get a key on both sides of the door to lock it up.”
He also stressed the importance of knowing the people around the area in which they live.
“Get to know your neighbors,” Casper said. “If you live in a neighborhood and everyone knows everyone, it makes it easier to monitor burglars. For example, if you go to work at a set time and there’s another person who comes by your house, a neighbor can see them and call the police.
“Of course, home security systems work too.”
Robert Dryden, manager of Phatboy Video Games, hasn’t had a break-in since the store opened in 2006.
“We have an alarm we see every night and we lock the doors before we close,” Dryden said. “We also have cameras set up.”
Kinston resident Melissa Sawyer has two animals to protect the house, even as others around her have been burglarized.
“I’ve got a blue pit bull and a timberland wolf,” Sawyer said. “They used to be outside, but a couple weeks ago, I felt like something was telling me to bring them in the house. The next day, the trailer behind my house was broken into and there was another break in within the same week.
“When there was a car that we didn’t know about in the neighborhood, the dogs used to bark, growl and go crazy outside. Now, when someone comes to the door, they do the same thing.”
Car thefts have been a problem as well in the area. According to Rosalina Rogers, accountant and secretary of Rogers Audio and Body, the shop installs 250 to 300 car alarms annually, mostly from female customers.
“Females want it for the remote to start the car,” Rogers said. “They want it for protection, depending on where they live and especially if they have rims. When someone tries to break in, the horn starts blowing and the lights blink sporadically. No one can turn it off besides the person with the remote.”
Kelvin Rogers, the owner of the shop, had a few suggestions to lower the chances of a car getting broken into or stolen.
“Don’t leave any pocketbooks, valuable things or anything that looks valuable in the seat out in the open,” Rogers said. “Don’t leave checkbooks or debit cards in the seats, and if your radio is detachable, unplug it if you’re going to be gone for a long period of time.
“Also, if you have a car alarm, make sure to cut them on. It doesn’t matter if you have one or not if you don’t cut the alarm on.”
Perhaps the most important method to securing property came from Kinston resident Doug Jones.
“The No. 1 thing is this: never keep your car unlocked,” Jones said. “Lock the doors in both your car and your home.”
Junious Smith III can be reached at 252-559-1077 and Junious.Smith@Kinston.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JuniousSmithIII.