Dear Neighbors,
I want to thank everyone for attending the Emergency Crime Watch meeting held on 02/07/2012; it was great to see a lot of familiar and some new faces. I was proud & happy to see so many people take part to become aware of what is happening here in San Sebastian.The Altamonte Police Department was on hand at this meeting to provide as much information as possible and to answer a lot of questions and concerns of the attendees.
We wanted everyone to be aware of the recent rash of break-ins we have had in the neighborhood over the last few months and most have probably seen the report on the news of the man that followed a neighborhood girl and attempted to lure her into his truck. This person has approached at least two other teenage girls in Altamonte.
The information shared is as follows:
Attempted abduction:
The male is an older male, chubby build, has white / light colored hair, and spoke Spanish to the girl asking her to get in the truck. He was driving a commercial truck with an aluminum flat bed with wood rails and had a hose reel with a red hose in the bed. He has also been seen with a younger man, thin build with dark hair and dark skin. He also spoke Spanish to the girl attempting to coax her into the truck. Thank God these young ladies kept their wits and ran for help from neighbors in all instances.
The break-ins:
They are happening during the day through a rear window or door.It is always during the time when the resident is not home. We have one reported attempt where someone was home and caught the intruder off guard before they entered the house. The description is a tall person with a thin build wearing a grey hoodie. The police think the person doing the break-ins are watching the homes and learning the coming and going of the resident. One resident had an alarm system but the burglar still broke through a window and entered the home. ASPD is asking everyone to pay close attention to cars or persons that are loitering in the neighborhood and paying too close attention to homes. They may be posing as cable, telephone, electric persons or even the religious visitors we sometimes get. We can never be too careful as the person could be a female. If you are approached by a person do not provide anyone with any information about your property, your schedules, etc. Always contact the company they claim to be representing or call the police. We have been assured we will not be calling the police too many times for such reports.
Also, to keep you informed, to solicit in the city of Altamonte, you have to register with the city. They check to make sure you do not have a record and issue a City permit that the solicitor must have on them at all times. This permit is issued to the person not to the company they represent.
The San Sebastian HOA is in the process of notifying the city that San Sebastian does not want any solicitors in our neighbor and requesting them to put our neighborhood on the Do Not Solicit list when someone registers with the city.
San Sebastian has a Neighborhood Watch program which is headed up by Rosa Michaels. She is looking for volunteers please contact her at Rosa Michaels 407-509-5859 or email Rosierrred@aol.com. She has been patrolling our neighborhood and could use the help.
Also, please register your e-mail address at our website www.mysansebastianhome.com for updates regarding our neighborhood. Let’s stay informed and take back our Neighborhood!!!
