Wayland Police Investigating Two Daytime Home Break-Ins

An audible alarm apparently frightened one potential burglar away, but a second break-in later the same day resulted in stolen jewelry and cash.

Wayland Police is looking into separate break-ins that occurred within hours of one another on Wednesday afternoon, and Police Chief Bob Irving said it's "very possible" the two are connected. No one was home at the time of either break-in.

At 12:47 p.m., police responded to a burglar alarm at a residence on Fox Meadow Lane near Shaw Drive. Officers arrived to find a garage window open and, upon entering the garage, found the door between the garage and the house had been forced open, which tripped the audible alarm and alerted police.

Residents at the Fox Meadow home did not report anything stolen, and Irving said it appears the alarm frightened the burglar away.

Then, at about 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, a resident returned to her Glezen Lane residence to find jewelry and cash missing. In this case, police believe the burglar gained access through a sliding glass door in the basement, though the door was not obviously forced.

A police press release said other daytime burglaries have occurred recently in Sudbury and Lincoln. Jewelry is a popular target for residential burglars, so police encourage homeowners to hide their jewelry or store it in a secure place.

In addition, Wayland Police is asking residents to be mindful of securing their homes when they leave, setting burglar alarms, and immediately reporting any suspicious activity.

Irving said potential burglars will sometimes check whether a home is occupied before breaking in by knocking on a victim's door and asking for directions or providing some other excuse for being there.

"This type of activity should immediately be reported to the police so we can attempt to identify the individuals," the police press release reads. "Vehicle descriptions and license plate numbers aid the police in investigating and identifying suspicious individuals."

Any suspicious activity should be reported to Wayland police detectives at 508-358-4721.