Autumn Oaks Community Assoc. Inc.

On Sunday Morning about 3 AM one of our residents found someone trying to hot- wire his car in the garage. About 8 Troopers and the helicopter responded and the suspect was apprehended. Reportedly he had been released on bail Saturday night from Westminister. A neighbor reports seeing the suspect earlier and noting he ''didn't seem like he belonged'' but did not call MSP. We need to pay attention to those little voices in our heads, they are usually right. At worstst an innocent person would have been questioned briefly, at best we may avoid a tragedy. I realize we all feel that we live in a safe neighborhood. That may have been true in the past but times have changed. The opening of schools and Sumner's Hollow have brought more traffic to the neighborhood. Drugs are reportedly available from ''alot of kids'' according to my recently ''caught in the act'' teen. Teens looking for drug money will steal it if the opportunity presents itself. We all think ''Not my kid!'' I did too but my bubble got burst recently. Criminals see the signs for $300K+ houses and drive in to case the neighborhoods. Pedophiles know that complacent neighborhoods like ours present opportunities for them. Lock your doors, keep track of your kids,get to know your neighbors and REPORT suspicious activities. If you think it's suspicious, it is.