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Police Chief Marilyn Diaz released the following information about a burglary scam that has been used against two Sierra Madre senior women:

Police Chief Marilyn Diaz is asking the public to be aware of a ploy to distract senior residents in an effort to burglarize their homes. During early August two women reported similar encounters with two youth who approached the women at their homes. The first incident involved a boy and girl who knocked on a woman’s door in the vicinity of Carter and Lima, asking permission to look for a lost ball in her backyard. The woman allowed them inside, and sat outside with the girl while the boy looked in the back yard for about 15 minutes.

After the boy did not find a ball, he asked the woman if she could change a $100.00 bill. The women went to her bedroom to check her purse, and returned to tell the boy that she did not have change. The boy and girl left. Later, the woman discovered that someone had cut the screen to her front door in an apparent effort to enter.

A few days later, in the vicinity of Sturtevant and Mountain Trail, a woman was outside her home when young teenagers, a male and a female, approached her and said that they were looking for their mother. The woman allowed them inside her home, and the boy asked her if she had change for a $100.00 bill. She went into her bedroom to check her purse, and returned to tell the teens that she did not have change. They left, and got into a small vehicle parked on Sturtevant. The woman later discovered that her jewelry and coins were missing.

The descriptions of the two youth differ slightly. One woman described them as 9 or 10, dark skinned, possibly of East Indian or Romanian descent. The second woman described the youth as Caucasian, and in their early teens. In both cases, the youth made statements to the women implying that they lived in the area.

Burglars use these and similar tactics to distract residents while additional suspects, usually adults, burglarize the home. Chief Diaz is encouraging anyone who sees or hears of a similar incident in progress, to call the police right away with a description of the incident and suspects.

Anyone with additional information should call Detective Ken Berry at 355-1414.