Burglars have targeted rural homes in four counties, grabbing guns, jewelry and cash before escaping in broad daylight.
More than 20 similar incidents have been reported to sheriff’s offices in Alachua, Marion, Levy and Citrus counties over the last four months, according to county officials.
Since mid-January, property crime detectives with the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office and other departments have worked to find an answer, sheriff’s office spokesman Art Forgey said.
Deputies from Levy County reported eight cases, and those from Citrus County reported 12, according to their respective websites.
Forgey said he will not have a definitive number of burglary incidents until all of the forensic evidence is complete.
He said detectives believe one group of burglars is behind all of the cases.
“The burglaries within the other counties are very similar to some that we have experienced and therefore we believe they are being committed by the same people,” Forgey wrote in an email.
Anyone with information on the burglaries in Alachua County can receive a reward of up to $1,000 by calling Crime Stoppers at 352-372-7867.
Citrus County Sheriff Jeffrey Dawsy said a murder Thursday night may be related to the burglaries.
The suspected killer broke into a home in Dunnellon, a rural Citrus County city, and killed the homeowner, Dawsy said during a press conference Monday.
“That homicide had a lot of similarities to the burglaries that we’ve had throughout our community and possibly to the surrounding communities,” he said.
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