The Curry County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a rash of recent burglaries on Oceanview Drive in Harbor, the latest one on Wednesday.

Undersheriff Bob Rector said Friday there have been four burglaries on Oceanview since Sept. 30 – including two at the same residence.

On Wednesday afternoon, authorities responded to a 911 call of a possible burglary in progress at the south end of Oceanview Drive. Officers approached the home with guns drawn, but found no suspects. A security system alarm had alerted a neighbor to the break-in. Something had been thrown through a front window and it was unknown whether anything was taken. 

Rector said the common threads are forced entry through a garage and the fact that no one was home at the time of the burglary.

The situation isn’t new.

“It appears the Oceanview Drive area has been targeted a couple of times over the past few years,” Rector said.

Ten burglaries occurred in that area during September, October and November of 2010, he said.

While Rector said he doesn’t have proof, law enforcement officials are considering the possibility that break-ins are being committed by California residents.

“There’s a suspicion that a lot of these crimes are connected to people traveling over the state line,” Rector said.

In the city of Brookings, a police spokesman said there has not been an unusual amount of crime lately. However, a burglary occurred Oct. 30 at the Harris Beach State Park laundry facility.

Officer Travis Wright responded at 7 a.m. to a report of a burglary in progress and saw a person running from the area, according to a police department press release. Wright pursued the man, later identified as James Early Sutherland, 40, of Phoenix, Ore., and ordered him to stop. However, he continued running until he entered a silver 2001 BMW and drove from the park, police said.

An investigation revealed forced entry into the laundry facility and thousands of dollars of damage to a coin machine in the attempt to steal it, according to police.

Four hours later, Wright located the BMW about a mile away. It was seized as evidence and impounded.

“A short time later, the registered owner of the vehicle, Maria Logan, also from the Jackson County area, was contacted, interviewed and arrested for her role in the crime,” police said.

Logan, 38, was listed as a Talent resident.

Police executed a search warrant on the BMW last Tuesday and found illegal narcotics and numerous tools to aid in theft and illegal.

“Other evidence related to thefts in Del Norte County was also located in the vehicle,” the press release said.

Brookings police are working with Oregon State Police and Del Norte County Sheriff’s Office to investigate similar thefts at other state parks. Meanwhile, Sutherland remains at large.

Rector said the Curry County Sheriff’s Office has suggestions for residents that can help prevent burglaries.

Those include having lots of exterior lighting with motion sensors. “The house in darkness becomes a target,” Rector said.

Barking dogs and alarm systems also can be effective deterrents, he said, although noting that one of the recent Oceanview Drive burglaries occurred at a house with an alarm system.

Citizens also might consider hiring private security firms or installing video cameras, Rector said. Just the presence of an exterior video camera ­– if it is marked and obvious – might keep someone from approaching the residence, he said.

Rector added that active Neighborhood Watch groups have proved helpful in reducing crime.

“We encourage folks in the Oceanview Drive area to think about that,” he said.

Rector said sheriff’s deputies will participate in Neighborhood Watch meetings, and will help groups get started by helping with signage and other tips.

He urged citizens who are interested in starting a Neighborhood Watch program to call him directly at 541-247-3276.

Rector emphasized that he doesn’t advocate vigilante action by Neighborhood Watch groups. Instead, their value is in quickly reporting suspicious behavior to law enforcement officials.