Woodlake Community Assn.

It seems that our personal property is at risk these days in our own yards. We have just had my Childs bicycle stolen over the weekend right from our front yard. It seems some of the children thought it would be ok to borrow a bicycle from our front yard while we where home. My son comes to me and informs me and my wife that his bicycle is missing. So we go out to try to find it, coming up with some of the children playing in the neighborhood had seen another child riding my sons bicycle and sent us to an specific apartment in the Complex of Kings Ridge Apartments. Upon knocking on the door and speaking with an adult, who was the mother of an 11 or 12 year old Boy who had supposedly taken the bike, seemed not to have any concern about the child being in possession of stolen property. But does inform me that her child with her permission is on his way with some other children to CI CI's Pizza which is located in the Newport News Shopping Center next to K-mart on the corner of Warwick and Denbigh on their bicycles. So 1, 2, 3 on my way there low and behold who do I see there... a young boy holding my sons bike. I at that time called the Newport News Police who came to the scene and took possession of my property from the child. The Police questioned the children there on to where they came into possession of this bike and the story was some other child gave it to me and that they had no idea it was wrong to take a bike that didn?’t belong to them. I did not press charges against these children but, I do believe some parents need to monitor their children a little closer. What amazed me is that so many children knew of the location of the bicycle or who had it, but yet no one told my son or us that it had just been taken. It could have been as easy at a knock on the door. We really need to watch for each other. Another thing that I find out of the ordinary it that an 11 or 12 year old child on a bicycle can ride over to Newport News Shopping Center without adult supervision. The Police informed me that it happens all the time and there is nothing they can do about it. I as a parent of a 10 year old I would certainly not approve of my son riding across Jefferson Ave. And if caught and questioned by Police I would like to get a courtesy call from them. This did not happen in this occurrence. May this be a lesson to us that nothing is save in our yards. So you may want to think twice about grabbing something out of the garage and leaving it open while you do something in the back yard. I understand that we have a neighborhood watch in which I am not an active participant but I do try to watch out for my neighbors we all know who live to the right and left of us and know if something looks out of place. Lets keep an eye on our neighborhood and try to keep out the bad elements that my find its way into it.

I really enjoyed yrou post. I agree that we need to watch out for eachother. That is the neighborly thing to do!

Please make sure to send this onfo to our community watch leader Chris Brody. I believe his contact info is in the Contact Board Members section of this site.