Hollister
– After Elizabeth and Jeremy Dirks arrived home one January
night to a burglary in progress at their Somme Avenue residence,
they decided to become better friends with their neighbors.
Hollister – After Elizabeth and Jeremy Dirks arrived home one January night to a burglary in progress at their Somme Avenue residence, they decided to become better friends with their neighbors.
On Tuesday that decision paid off when two neighbors apprehended an 18-year-old man who was trying to break into the Dirks’ home.
Steven Antone Hinson, of Morgan Hill, was arrested by the Hollister Police Department.
Police Capt. Richard Vasquez said the apprehension was a perfect example of what looking out for neighbors can do.
Elizabeth Dirks told the Free Lance Wednesday that she is afraid to open the door when she is home alone.
“It’s very surprising and shocking,” Dirks said. “We want people to know that we’re all looking out for each other.”
According to a neighbor, a man was cruising around the neighborhood on a bicycle for much of the morning before he knocked loudly at the Dirks’ residence to see if anyone was home.
Vasquez said two neighbors noticed the man go to the side of the house and use a trash can to jump the fence into the back yard.
After alerting another neighbor, the two men waited for the man. When he jumped the fence out of the back yard, the men asked him what he was doing there.
“His story was he needed to use the restroom,” Vasquez said. “And as he tried to flee they tackled him.”
The neighbors sat on the man until officers arrived. After a short investigation police arrested him for attempted burglary, a felony; trespassing, a misdemeanor; and having a bike without a serial number a misdemeanor; Vasquez said.
“They did it in a safe manner,” Vasquez said. “I think these guys did a great job. More people need to be actively involved in reporting (burglaries).”
Jeremy Dirks said the neighborhood has come together, getting to know each other better, exchanging contact information and keeping an eye out at all times.
The neighborhood is also planning to have a barbecue to get to know each other better, he said.
Jeremy Dirks said he and his wife feel like they live in a nice neighborhood, but they have invested in an alarm and now check the locks on all windows and doors.
“We feel violated,” Dirks said.
Vasquez said the Hollister Police Department is urging residents to get to know each other and learn who should and who should not be in their neighborhood.
Residential burglaries in Hollister jumped 73 percent in 2006, according to police department statistics. In 2006, there were 199 residential burglaries reported in the City of Hollister compared to 115 in 2005.
Michael Van Cassell covers public safety for the Free Lance. He can be reached at 831-637-5566 ext. 335 or mv*********@fr***********.com.
