Mojave has been the center of a rash of break-ins the last two weeks. Nine houses have been broken into, or attempted to be broken into, mostly in the Miracle Manor neighborhood, or the O St, P St, Q St section of downtown. “We think it’s possibly the same guy hitting Mojave and Cal City” said Sergeant Williams, of the Mojave Sheriff’s Sub Station. The modus operandi of this burglar has been especially brazen. Each burglary he has entered the home while the victims are watching TV, sleeping, or eating dinner. He stealthily steals their purse or jewelry or other valuables and slinks out the window before anybody knows. Several residents saw somebody in their yard or trying to gain access to the window and scared the criminal off before alerting authorities. While no one has been hurt yet, deputies believe this burglar may be armed, due to the brazen nature of his crime, and ask that residents take a few simple precautions to secure their homes. SGT Williams recommends locking their windows and doors, especially at night, and putting a wooden or plastic dowel in the window sill to block the window from opening. He also asks residents to turn on as many exterior lights as possible and leave a light on in the house at night. Finally, he requests that residents call the Sheriff’s Office to report anything unusual. “You wouldn’t believe what people don’t report” says SGT Williams. “We conduct pattern analysis of each call, and each call helps deter crime.”