Wave of burglaries hit Fort Scott, surrounding areas

Within a period of seven days, seven burglaries have been reported in Fort Scott and the surrounding area.

The burglaries occurred between Aug. 13-19 with five of the seven burglaries occurring in rural Fort Scott. According to Bourbon County Undersheriff Bill Martin, the burglaries consist of a person or persons entering unlocked vehicles to steal untraceable items in the early morning hours after midnight.

"We may live in rural areas where we don't expect people to come onto our properties, but society has changed," Martin said. "We will probably see an increase in stealing."

Burglaries were reported on Aug. 13 at 919 245th St. and 316 Lowman; Aug. 16 at 744 190th St., 918 190th St., and 103 19th St.; and Aug. 19 at 1545 215th St. and 603 160th St. Fort Scott Police Department Lt. Travis Shelton said the report at 316 Lowman was actually believed to occur at Pump 'N Pete's located at 1920 S. Main St. in which a cell phone and a few other items were stolen from a vehicle while the owner was in the store.

Martin said items being stolen include cash, radar detectors, Global Positioning System devices, and cell phones. He added the person or persons are not taking items which can be traced such as check books and credit cards. Because of this, the Bourbon County Sheriff's Office is having a difficult time with investigations.

"We are running into some roadblocks," Martin said. "They're not dumb ... they area aware of what they're doing."

To avoid falling victim to another burglary, Martin said residents should not leave valuable items in their cars and the doors should be locked.

"People need to lock their cars, that's going to be key," Martin said.

Martin suggests residents should report any suspicious vehicles and record a license plate number. Information should be reported to the Bourbon County Sheriff's Office by calling (620) 223-1440 or by calling 911.