Thieves are taking everything

GARDEN VALLEY -- Hoping for strength in numbers, Garden Valley neighbors will gather Wednesday evening as part an organized effort to stop a string of break-ins in the Terrace Lakes area.

These crooks aren't just stealing big-ticket items -- they're grabbing everything from bath towels to recliners!

They are absolutely cleaning house -- taking seemingly insignificant items, like silverware along with valuables like flat screen televisions -- and then, they're coming back for more!

"The deputy said there'd been more than 40 break-ins this year," said Carl Swenson.

"From what I've been hearing, it's anywhere from 30-50 up here," said June Palmer.

For months now burglars have been sneaking into remote neighborhoods north of Garden Valley and pillaging through private homes.

"It just seems to go on and on and on and we don't have a resolution," said Swenson.

Not only are they targeting a lot of homes, but these thieves are brazen -- circling back and striking the same homes again.  It happened at the home where Carl Swenson lives.  He says they've taken almost everything they could get their hands on.

"TVs, a small Tiffany lamp, chandelier, TV trays, took all the bedding in the front bedroom, the bed frame," said Swenson.

They also busted the lock on his shed and stole his ATV.  His neighbors have similar stories.

June Palmer is a full-time Garden Valley resident.  She's spearheading efforts to form a neighborhood watch program. While her home hasn't been burglarized, she feels a responsibility to protect those that were.

"A lot are homes used as summer homes, so those of us here try to look out for them too," said Palmer.

"I'm P.O.ed about it!  I've lost $10,000 of value," said Swenson.

He's also angry, as are others, with the local law enforcement. He says they've been slow to react and even slower to alert the community about, what he calls "an epidemic."

"I don't have the time to sit up at my place with a shotgun all night long, and believe me, I be happy to do that," said Swenson. "I don't want to go through this again."

We contacted the Boise County Sheriff's Office twice for this story, but they did not return our calls. 

When we stopped by their office in Crouch Tuesday afternoon, no one was in.

That’s a major frustration for the people we spoke with. They feel the authorities are not being open enough with the public about what's going on.

Opening those lines of communication between deputies and neighbors is one of the objectives of a community meeting being held at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Terrace Lakes restaurant.

The sheriff is expected to be there to update residents on his department’s investigation.

After this story aired on NewsChannel 7, Sheriff Ben Roeber contacted us to say his department has formed a task force to deal with these crimes.

Deputies have also increased patrols in the Terrace Lakes and Castle Mountain areas. Roeper is urging anyone who sees suspicious activity to contact the Boise County Sheriff's Office immediately at 392-4411.