Unusual Amount of Crime on Willow Hill Road in Ladue?

Ladue Police Chief Rich Wooten has noticed a recent uptick in crimes on Willow Hill Road in Ladue. He is unable, however to determine if that this has to do with any pre-planning on the part of criminals, or is just unusual circumstances.

A week ago, on Wednesday, both early in the morning and late at night two homes were entered by burglars.

In both cases, family members found the signs of break in after checking for relatives who were out of town.

In one case, a laptop was stolen, and dropped as three suspects fled the neighborhood from patrolling officers. In the other case, nothing seemed to be stolen.

The first case happened when a son was checking on his father’s house while he was out of town. In another case, a mom was checking on the home of her children who were also out of town.

Entry was gained on one home through an unlocked second floor window, and the second home was entered through a patio door slider.

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The chief says the burglars are going to extraordinary lengths to make sure homeowners are not home at the time of their entry.

“They must be knocking on doors and checking things out before they go in,” said the chief.

“In the past, we’ve found some of those we have arrested have parked their cars on empty lots on Delmar, near the Gatesworth (Retirement Center) located at 1 McKnight Place at Delmar and I-170, the Inner-Belt. Back yards offer quick entry points from University City to Willow Hill.

The chief urges residents on Willow Hill and elsewhere to take the usual precautions:

• lock doors and automobiles
• set alarms and motion detectors
• always be on the lookout for suspicious activity
• Call 911 if things don’t seem right

This is the police log from last week's break-ins.