Local News

Actions

Henderson homeowners fear neighborhood burglary crime wave

Posted at 10:04 PM, Jan 12, 2018
and last updated 2018-01-13 06:49:02-05

Guys, who appear to be teens, walk up to the door of a Henderson home and ring the bell. They wait for an answer as they look around to see if anyone spots them.

Renita Lussier, the woman who lives there, says those guys were checking to see if someone was home before they break in. All this happened the night of Dec. 23. Lussier said the crooks checked the door not once but twice about an hour apart.

“There were seven of them who jumped over my back wall, came through my back yard and threw a brick through my sliding glass door," said Lussier, a mother of four children. “Then (they) went to the side of my house, tore down my screen and tried to slide my window open."

That was as far as they got. Lussier believes the alarm system scared off the would-be burglars. Lussier, however, worries about her children’s safety. "It just becomes more real when somebody tried to break in," Lussier said.

The attempt is part of a recent wave of break-ins or attempted break-ins in this Henderson neighborhood, near Lake Mead and Warms Springs.

Dani Gutierrez, who lives nearby, said crooks have tried to force their way into at least seven homes in the past couple of months. "It seems like it's almost daily," Gutierrez said. "When I come home to my house, I'm afraid I'm going to find a broken window and my house is ransacked.

"I go to bed at night, I set an alarm on my house to feel safe. I sleep with a gun next to my bed," said Gutierrez,  owns FTI Las Vegas gun shop in Henderson. She's trying to organize a community meeting with police for Jan. 28 to brainstorm ways to crack down on crime.

“I want everyone to look out for each other. When you walk out your door and see something that's not right pick up the phone and call 311," Gutierrez said.