For rapid response to any crime actions or suspicious person you should contact the Travis County Sheriff Department at 911

For Reporting of NON-EMERGENCY ACTIONS CALL 854-9728
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Stoneridge Crimewatch

Welcome to the Stoneridge Crimewatch Information page. We hope you find this section to be informative, but not alarming.
The Stoneridge Property Owners Association is an active part of the Neighborhood Crimewatch. Stoneridge POA has developed sign that can be placed at the entrances of our neighborhood to alert the residents to Crime issues in our area. If you are a victim of a crime, PLEASE notify this web site so we can get the information out to your neighbors to help prevent another crime. If you notify this link, we will post a CRIMEWATCH ALERT, at the entrances. Make a difference, and get involved. Stoneridge CrimeWatch

CRIMEWATCH ALERT-- CRIMEWATCH ALERT--CRIMEWATCH ALERT--

11-24-2011 Just a reminder that the Thanksgiving and Christmas season is just around the corner. Unfortunately this is also the season that criminals plan to work overtime too. Please keep an eye out for suspicious activity and report it immediately by calling 911. The Stoneridge Crime Watch in close association with the Travis County Constable Office Precinct 2, is excited to offer a valuable service to the residents of our Stoneridge neighborhood. Constable Sgt. Kevin Ward, Stoneridge Crimewatch Coordinator is offering a Close Patrol Request that goes directly to Sgt. Ward in Travis County Constable Office Pct. 2, that will enable Travis County Constables to provide added drive by patrols for residents that are on vacation, or have other security concerns. The officers will be able to pay more particular attention to a residence and make additional random drive by patrols. To initiate a patrol, a Close Patrol Request can be downloaded and filled out and then emailed directly to Sgt. Ward kevin.ward@co.travis.tx.us in order to begin this service. This information will ONLY be shared with Sgt. Ward, and the Constable Precinct 2 Officers! Security is paramount and personal information is not jeopardized. We appreciate Sgt. Ward stepping up and taking our Crimewatch to a much higher level of vigilance.


CRIMEWATCH ALERT-- CRIMEWATCH ALERT--CRIMEWATCH ALERT--

5-3-2011 Stoneridge Crimewatch Coordinator Sgt. Kevin Ward reported today an attempted burglary in the 14700 blk Bescott Dr.. The method of entry like others in the area was smashing glass on back of house (either window glass or back door glass). Today nothing was taken, as the burglar appeared to have been scared off. The hours for todays attempt was between 7am-4pm and they were suspected to have entered off the hike/bike trail. Similar attempts have been reported in other areas of Wells Branch during the 10pm-5am time period . Remember YOU ARE THE EYES AND EARS OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH! Call 911 immediately if you see someone suspicious! Please be safe!

 

1-16-2011 A fellow Wells Branch resident sent this in and asked that I pass it along to you all.
He wanted to give everyone a "heads up".
"We recently purchased a magazine subscription from a door to door salesperson and had our check returned because she had written in a larger amount.   The name of the group selling was Golden Key and the check was made out to Ultimate Unity.   You might want to alert other groups about this group being in our area selling magazines". Thanks Jeremy!
Travis County Sheriff Department also reports that there was a burglary on Great Willow Dr. earlier this week and numerous car break-ins on Wood Chase, Endicott, Surrender & Taylor-Simonetti last week.  Stoneridge Crimewatch encourages all residents to keep your eyes open, your outside lights on,
park your vehicles in the garage or close to the house, and don't leave ANYTHING in the car. Call 911 to report suspicous activity and PLEASE STAY SAFE!

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10-10-2010 The Stoneridge POA Crimewatch Night Out is to be held on Tuesday October 12, 2010 at 6:30 pm(weather permitting)in the Pursalane Meadow Lane cul-de-sac near the WB Library (left turn off Ploverville) . Come meet your neighborhood and enjoy hot dogs, sausage wraps and cold drinks as we meet with law enforcement to discuss ideas make our area safer

9-17-2010 The Stoneridge POA invites folks to participate in the National Night Out Celebration sponsored by the Wells Branch Neighborhood Association that will be held at Kathryn Fleischer Park on October 5, 2010. The Stoneridge POA Crimewatch Night Out has been rescheduled for October 12, 2010 in the Pursalane Meadow Lane cul-de-sac near the WB Library (left turn off Ploverville) at 6:30 pm. Come meet your neighborhood and enjoy hot dogs, sausage wraps and cold drinks as we met with law enforcement to discuss ideas make our area safer.

 

12-14-2009 A homeowner on Bescott Dr. reported that on 12-08-2009 their home was burglarized during the daytime hours. The thieves gained access by kicking in their front door. Only cash and DVDs were stolen, but Travis County Sheriff surmised that possibly this was an effort to case out the home for a repeat visit. This is one of the busiest seasons for home burglary. Criminals never take a holiday and they know that homes are being stocked with the newest and latest electronic gear that are still in the box. Residents should avoid putting gifts under the tree too early and especially if the tree can be seen from an outside window. After the holidays, empty boxes from recent purchases should be put inside the trash can or dark bags to avoid telling the crooks what is brand new inside. Another tip from the experts is to replace your deadbolt door jam 1inch screws with 3-4inch screws that will secure the jam directly into the frame of the house. Certainly if the crooks want in bad enough they will find a way, but don't make it easy for the novice criminal. Remember YOU ARE THE EYES AND EARS OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH! Call 911 immediately if you see someone suspicious. See the next article for another way to protect the home during the holiday vacation!

11-7-2009 The Stoneridge Crime Watch in close association with the Travis County Constable Office Precinct 2, is excited to offer a valuable service to the residents of our Stoneridge neighborhood. Constable Sgt. Kevin Ward, Stoneridge Crimewatch Coordinator is offering a Close Patrol Request that goes directly to Sgt. Ward in Travis County Constable Office Pct. 2, that will enable Travis County Constables to provide added drive by patrols for residents that are on vacation, or have other security concerns. The officers will be able to pay more particular attention to a residents home and make additional random drive by patrols. To initiate a patrol, a Close Patrol Request can be filled out and emailed or faxed directly to Sgt. Ward to begin this service. Please note there is a link to the
Pct. 2 Constable Office or you can fax this form directly. This information will ONLY be shared with Sgt. Ward, and the Constable Precinct 2 Officers! Security is paramount and personal information is not jeopardized. We appreciate Sgt. Ward stepping up and taking our Crimewatch to a much higher level of vigilance.

9-13-2009 Mark your calendars for Tuesday OCTOBER 6 NATIONAL NIGHT OUT AT STONERIDGE ! The Stoneridge Crimewatch is planning to participate in the National Crimewatch Night Out where you can meet your neighbors and get the latest information on how we can actively participate in crime prevention in our neighborhood.We will meet in the Culdesac at the south end of Bescott Dr. (the end by the frisbee golf course).at 6:30pm. The POA is providing hot dogs and sausage wraps, soft drinks and water for the neighborhood. There will be a jumping room for the kids, so bring your chairs and family and lets all get acquainted. We plan on having Sarah Eckhardt, our Pct 2 County Commissioner, whom assistance in conjunction with the Travis County Sheriff Dept. was instrumental in getting our nuisance house problem solved. We will also have members from the Sheriff department as well as Kevin Ward ,Pct 2 Constable Sergeant and our Crime watch Coordinator on hand to answer questions on crime prevention issues. We will have a brief POA meeting to update folks on what else has been going on in the neighborhood. We hope to see everyone there. Any suggestions or a willingness to help, please contact us at ernst@stoneridgepoa.com

7-18-2009
A neighbor reported to the Crimewatch that she was watching TV in her living room around 1:30a.m., when she was startled by someone trying to open her front door. They tried the door handle only once and then left immediatly. The Travis County Sheriff Department responded immediatly and throughly searched the area but did not find anyone. The deputy assumes that these individuals are looking for unlocked front doors in order to enter the homes. Noteworthy, is that there has been several recent reports of home invasions in the early morning hours thruout Austin, with two being successful in the past couple weeks. KEEP YOUR DOORS LOCKED AT ALL TIMES AND BE ALERT. CALL 911 IMMEDIATLY IF ANYTHING SEEMS SUSPICIOUS! We are not trying to alarm anyone but BE ALERT AND BE SAFE!.

6-21-2009 The're Back!!! The car thieves have returned again and stolen another car on Bescott Drive. this is the 3rd car stolen in our neighborhood in the past 4 months. It appears to be the same gang of thieves, returning after 5-6 weeks when the heat is off and stealing another import car from the driveway. All of the thefts have occurred between midnight and 5am. These are "professional car thieves". This time they brought a car jack dolly to un wedge the car from between the garage and another car, push it on to the lawn and hot wire and drive it away. The Travis County Sheriff Dept has NO leads on this gang. If anyone saw anything on Thursday June 18th, early morning in the 14900 Block of Bescott please call immediately at 854-9728 . Also in the coming weeks if anyone sees ANYONE suspicious during the early morning hours, such as guys walking around talking on cell phones(the lookouts) or carrying tools or jacks call 911 immediately.

Happy Memorial Day Holiday 2009. As you enjoy the holiday weekend, keep in mind that the criminals don't take a holiday off. One of our neighbors reported a theft from their open garage while they were still at home. Unfortunately thieves see an open door as an invitation to steal your stuff. Every year we get reports in our neighborhood of open garage theft of sporting equipments, lawnmowers and tools. It only take less than a minute to snatch something, throw it in a truck and be on their way. Please don't make it easy and keep your garage doors closed. Have you installed a garage door opener in the past year or so? Did you reset the default opener code? The Police department burglary detail reports that more than 10% of garage openers are still on the default code and any crook with a opener can get inside day or night. Not sure how to change the code, then consult the operating instructions that came with the opener and change it again. Don't make it easy!.

May 7, 2009 One of our neighbors was surprised to find that their car was stolen from their driveway on Bescott Drive on Friday night or early Saturday morning. The Travis County Sheriff Department reports that auto theft in Wells Branch continues to be a problem. If anyone saw anything suspicious such as slow moving cars, standing by or looking into cars please call the TCSO at 854-9728 to investigate. If you see this sort of activity in the future call 911 to summon a deputy immediately. Do you have a car that is a target for thieves? The top 10 cars that thieves are looking for according to National Crime Information Center include:

  • Honda Civic (1995)
  • Honda Accord (1991)
  • Toyota Camry (1989)
  • Ford F 150 (1997)
  • Chevrolet CK 1500 (1994)
  • Acura Integra (1994)
  • Dodge Ram Pickup (2004)
  • Nissen Sentra (1994)
  • Toyota Pickup (1988)
  • Toyota Corolla (2007)

The NICB encourages everyone to follow what it calls a "layered approach" to auto theft protection by employing simple, low-cost suggestions to make vehicles less attractive to thieves. The four layers include common sense, a warning device, an immobilizing device, and a tracking device.The least expensive form of defense, common sense simply means using the standard anti-theft features of a vehicle by locking the car and taking the keys. The second layer is a warning device or alarm on the vehicle. The third layer suggests some sort of immobilizing device, such as a fuel cutoff or smart key that prevents the vehicle from being driven. The fourth layer consists of a tracking device allowing law enforcement officers to track and recover a vehicle if stolen.

The criminals of Austin are always coming up with new ways to commit their crimes. One of our neighbors on Bescott Drive recently put their house up for sale. Unfortunately the FOR SALE sign was an indication that no one was home. An empty home is still a target for thieves. These owners soon found out that their large central air conditioning unit has been stolen for its copper inside. Copper thefts are an increasingly on the rise in Austin and air conditioners are prime targets. When folks put a house up for sell it is not unusual to see AC vans, painters and landscapers around sprucing up the home. Please be vigilant that these large trucks and vans may have other plans for your neighbors. Meet your neighbor, and get their current phone number and if anything looks suspicious call 911, and the Travis County Sheriff Dept will send a deputy to investigate immediately. It only takes a few minutes to cut the lines and lift a unit into a truck and be on their way. Be the eyes and ears of our Crimewatch and your neighbors will do the same!!

2007 Many of our neighbors have recently received a notice in the mail from the Texas Department of Public Safety, regarding a high risk sex offender living in our neighborhood. Though it is not our intent to alarm the neighborhood, we thought it would be appropriate to be aware and vigilant for our neighborhoods safety. We have provided a link that you may review here at Texas Department of Safety Sex Offender Registry . It may be noted that several sex offenders are living within 1 mile of our Stoneridge neighborhood in nearby areas of Wells Branch. A complete listing may be obtained from the DPS website link of Sex Offenders in 78728 zipcode The Texas Sex Offender Registration Program ( Chapter 62 of the Code of Criminal Procedure ) is a sex offender registration and public notification law designed to protect the public from sex offenders. This law requires adult and juvenile sex offenders to register with the local law enforcement authority of the city they reside in or, if the offender does not reside in a city, with the local law enforcement authority of the county they reside in.

ATTORNEY'S ADVICE - NO CHARGE  {  REALLY  ??? }


Read this and make a copy for your files in case you need to refer to it someday.Maybe we should all take some of his advice

1. Do not sign the back of your credit cards.
Instead, put "PHOTO ID REQUIRED."

2. When you are writing checks to pay on your credit card Accounts, DO NOT put the complete account number on the "For" line. Instead, just put the last four numbers. The credit card company knows the rest of the number, and anyone who might be handling your check as it passes through all the check processing channels won't have access to it.

3. Put your work phone # on your checks instead of your home Phone. If you have a PO Box use that instead of your home address. If you do not have a PO Box, use your work address.  Never have your SS# printed on your checks. (DUH!) You can add it if it is necessary. But if you have It printed, anyone can get it.

4. Place the contents of your wallet on a photocopy machine. Do both sides of each license, credit card, etc.  You will know what you had in your wallet and all of the account numbers and phone numbers to Call and cancel. Keep the photocopy in a safe place. I also carry a Photocopy of my passport when I travel either here or abroad. We've all heard horror stories about fraud that's committed on us in stealing a Name, address, Social Security number, credit cards.

Unfortunately, I, an attorney, have firsthand knowledge because my Wallet was stolen last month. Within a week, the thieve(S) ordered an Expensive monthly cell phone package, applied for a VISA credit card, had A credit line approved to buy a Gateway computer, received a PIN number From DMV to change my driving
record information online, and more. But here's some critical information to limit the damage in case this happens to you or someone you know:

5.  We have been told we should cancel our credit cards immediately. But the key is having the toll free numbers and your card Numbers handy so you know whom to call. Keep those where  you can find them.

6.  File a police report immediately in the jurisdiction where your credit cards, etc., were stolen. This proves to credit Providers you were diligent, and this is a first
step toward an Investigation (if there ever is one).

But here's what is perhaps most important of all: (I never even thought to do this.)

7. Call the 3 national credit reporting organizations Immediately to place a fraud alert on your name and also call the Social Security fraud line number. I had never heard of doing that until advised by a bank that called to tell me an application for credit was made over The Internet in my name.  The alert means any company that checks your Credit knows your information was stolen, and they have to contact you by Phone to authorize new credit.

By the time I was advised to do this, almost two weeks after the theft, all the damage had been done. There are records of all the Credit checks initiated by the thieves' purchases, none of which I knew about before placing the alert.
Since then, no additional damage has been done, and the thieves threw my wallet away this weekend (someone turned it in). It seems to have stopped them dead in their tracks.

Now, here are the numbers you always need to contact about your wallet, etc., has been stolen:

1.  Equifax: 800-525-6285
2.  Experian (formerly TRW): 888-397-3742
3.  Trans Union: 800-6807289
4.  Social Security Administration (fraud line):800-269-0271

We pass along jokes on the Internet; we pass along just about everything.

If you are willing to pass this information along, it could really help someone that you care about