Boating burglars on the loose at lakes

BURNET COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) - Living along Lake Buchanan year-round has plenty of perks for Jimmie Hall, but lately retirement and security stick out most in his mind.

“We’re pretty well secure here,” Hall said. “We’ve got three dogs and a fenced-in area, but most people don’t.”

Most of his neighbors in the Cassie subdivision along the west end of the lake only visit their vacation homes on the weekend. In the last few months, six of them fell victim to boating burglars. Altogether, thieves have hit more than 40 homes along the shores of both Lakes Buchanan and LBJ.

Police said the burglars are mostly collecting electronics like flat-screen televisions, some of which investigators said they tracked to pawn shops in Dallas. It makes Hall worry about his own collection - gasoline and oil memorabilia worth at least $100,000.

“The old porcelain signs are pretty hard to come by and so are these old gas pumps,” he said.

The Llano and Burnet County Sheriffs Offices sent questionnaires to victims for any details. One man, who chose to remain unnamed, said the form asked about handiwork completed on homes in recent months. Hoping to help, he listed the names of his repairmen.

Neighbors in Hall's subdivision believe thieves are using that opportunity to scope out the homes.

“They must be strong enough to carry things a long way,” said Joe Fischer, “because our lake is at least a quarter of a mile away.”

As this lake is still down by 20 feet during the drought, it mean burglars cannot always boat right up to your backyard, as police suspect most are doing to commit their crimes. Coming in the back way instead of using the front door gives burglars an advantage. Investigators told residents to be mindful of anyone they see walking from the shore.

“We sort of watch out for one another,” Fischer said. “As you can see in this particular cove, we can look into one another’s backyards, so it makes it a little easier.”

Police believe burglars are striking sometime Monday through Thursday between midnight and 5 a.m. at homes where they know no one is home. That is the exact reason Hall is staying put, to protect his place in person.

“We’ve got a dog that weighs about 150 pounds that could chew you up in a heartbeat,” he said.

Austin News checked with other law enforcement agencies responsible for patrolling the other Highland Lakes. None have seen an increase in burglaries on those waterways recently.