A break-in, other suspicious activity?

 

There certainly has been a change of atmosphere around Lockhaven as our well-maintained gardens and grounds have been obliterated by scaffolding, noise, garbage, and bare walls hanging in unsightly strips as John Goodman prepares our homes for new, richer tenants. But have you also noticed an increase in suspicious activity? 

  

Our neighbor Eric Van Steen reports a disturbing incident:

On Sunday night, between 11pm and 6am, the back door to the boiler room that is attached to the laundry room of 3048 was broken into.  Since there was only a slide lock in the boiler room the thieves were able to enter the laundry room simply by sliding a bolt.  They then proceeded to cut a pretty substantial bike lock and make off with three high end mountain bikes that are stored down there.  These are not cheapie, leave outside bikes, they are worth some money.  Oddly enough, there were two other, similar mountain bikes which weren't locked which were moved aside and left.  Seems to me like this was planned as they needed to know how to access the laundry room from the boiler room of a separate building and they had to know to bring bolt cutters with them and they specifically targeted the three better bikes (you wouldn't know just looking at them).

Those bikes are also not the easiest thing to get through doors and such, so they probably needed a couple people with them.

The boiler room was 'secured' with a small pad lock and the door has a huge hole in it, covered with a board screwed into place.  Access from the boiler room to the laundry room (and therefore our entire building) is as simple as sliding a bolt (if it was even engaged), then the entire building is open to the outside.

I have been noticing an increased amount of suspicious activity around the building ever since Pinnacle took over and the work on the building started and I just wanted to send this note that we should increase our vigilance around the buildings and reporting suspicious activity when we see it and make sure that your building is actually secure and not just open to the outside via a different route.  My girlfriend was in the basement collecting laundry around 10.30 or 11.  I don't want to think what would have happened if the bike thieves were down there with her or walked in on her.

Eric also writes that he's noticed:

1. Shopping carts.  In the last 4 years, I have not seen one on the property.  Since September I have seen 3 or 4.  There was actually one parked next to the access ramp on Sunday afternoon.  It was gone the next morning.
2. I have noticed the gray garbage bins have been left open a couple times, (3 or 4 times) when I have gone out in the morning.  Nothing alarming, just different and doesn't seem right.
3. Many more random people wandering around the property, of course I don't know everyone, but there seems to be more people I don't recognize

Thanks for the report, Eric. This is not to engage in scaremongering, and we certainly don't want to raise unwarranted suspicions against people such as workers who have a legitimate reason to be here. But we should definitely keep our eyes open, watch our for each other, keep sharing information, and immediately report suspicious activity to the police.