Burglars in PA Responsible for Hundreds of Home Intrusions?

It’s not every day a burglar has his bail set a nine million dollars! But that’s just what happened after police busted a ring that may have set a record for the number of burglaries they committed. Here’s the story, from Lower Paxton County, Pennsylvania.

Three men are behind bars after leading police on one of the largest burglary rings in memorable history in Central Pennsylvania. Ed Marsico, Dauphin County District Attorney said, "This was not a group of amateurs, a group of kids breaking in and stealing cases of beer from garages. This was a huge burglary ring, as big a ring as I can remember here in central Pennsylvania in the 20 years I've been doing this type of work.”

How Police Caught Them

Last week, Lower Paxton Township Police used night surveillance cameras during a night patrol and caught both 23-year-old Dean Thomas Barnes and 21-year-old Cody Allen Weidner in the Forest Hills neighborhood of Lower Paxton Township. On Friday, police said they arrested a third suspect, 46-year-old Brian Keith Crammer at his home. “We had to get a truck to get the seized items,” said Marsico.  He added, “If we didn't have police who hustled them - we wouldn't be where we are today.”

Robbing over a Wide Area

Lower Paxton Township believe the three suspects are involved in hundreds of home burglaries in Dauphin, York and Cumberland counties and worked with agencies across the region to target the three men. Lt. Gary Seefeldt of the Lower Paxton Township Police said, “We are not even aware yet of how many burglaries these guys did.”

Local Residents Speak Out

Ellen Destfani and her husband Dennis are both Forest Hills residents. “People who thought there safe sleepy neighborhood was not so safe,” said the couple.  Police report at least 35 burglaries were reported in the Forest Hills neighborhood between 2009-2011. “Three – sixteen – thirty, it was amazing,” said the Destfani’s referring to the number of home invasions. The couple added, “It came to a point we didn’t want to leave our home.” Barnes and Weidner's bail has been set at 500 thousand dollars each.  Crammer’s bail has been set at nine million dollars. Meanwhile, police say the investigation is ongoing.

People all over the US are looking harder for the best way to protect their homes and families, and the best alarm systems use safer cellular monitoring, in addition to offering smarter interactive services. FrontPoint specializes in both, which is why we’re the leader in wireless home security, and the #1 ranked home alarm company in the US. When you are ready for safer, smarter, simpler, more affordable, and virtually impossible to defeat, FrontPoint is your clear choice. And when your neighborhood feel the burglar’s bite, and it will, you’ll have peace of mind from the best home security you can get.