Although I had been hearing that there have been several home invasion attempts in the past few weeks in Rita Ranch, it has only been recently that the perpetrators were successful.  Last Sunday night, they forced their way into a home and killed a 47 year old man.  The rest of the family was left physically unharmed.

Unfortunately, these perpetrators have NOT yet been apprehended.  Therefore, they may repeat their crime or attempt to do so in the next few weeks.  Many of us who live in Rita Ranch or Vail have chosen this location due to its very low crime rate and the "family friendly" feel to our neighborhoods.  For the most part we are safe here.  We are experiencing a situation where a group of criminals is trying to take advantage of how relaxed we are out here regarding safety.

I encourage you all to keep an eye on whether your doors are locked.  Many times it is easy to leave them unlocked if you're going in and out and I have to admit that I myself have accidentally left my front door unlocked overnight a couple of times.  Also, when I walk or jog through my neighborhood I many times see garage doors left open.  Home invasion robberies are a crime of opportunity.  It is easier to just open an unlocked door or force your way in to a home where the homeowner has opened the door to answer it than it is to actually break into a house.

So keep yourselves and your families safe.  Lock the doors, close the windows and keep an eye on who is in your neighborhood.  The description of the vehicle being driven by the suspects is a "light-colored imported SUV with a broken rear window covered in plastic."  To read the entire article reporting this home invasion, visit the Vail Sun website at http://www.vailsun.com/articles/2008/05/14/news/news01.txt.