After working on the Police Blotter for this weeks Preston Hollow People, I noticed more strange crimes than normal. It seems like thieves are getting more aggressive, and maybe more creative?

Last Saturday, a thief pushed a women to the ground on West Lovers Lane and snatched her purse, which had her meds, money, make-up, and phone inside. So rude.

Also last week: a thief stole a $7,000 hoe ram from a construction site on Preston Road. Not sure what a hoe ram is? It’s a huge attachment from a construction vehicle.

Thieves these days…

Realtors have a reason to worry, because the man they believe is responsible for a string of thefts during open houses in Dallas, Plano and Frisco is back on the prowl.

After being arrested Feb. 6 for the second time on theft charges, Steven Breed made bond and has been seen at numerous open houses in Preston Hollow and the Park Cities this past weekend.

DPD said his bond was lowered to $10,000 Feb. 16, and was released shortly after. But they said investigators are still working on putting a case together against Breed.

Dawn Rejebian, a real estate agent for Dave Perry-Miller, spotted him at one of her Preston Hollow open houses last Sunday, and said she recognized him immediately and was very nervous.

“The front door of the house had a smokey glass, but when I got close enough I could tell it was [Breed], and just though, ‘oh no, it’s him.’” Rejebian said. “He came in quickly and aggressively. He was in the house for maybe five minutes, and was very aloof and almost rude.”

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And only you.

Wilonsky reported this morning that the city recently put out an RFP for 300 surveilance cameras, to be installed in 27 different areas of the city. That would be in addition to the 115 cameras that already monitor different neighborhoods.

Police claim the cameras are an effective deterrent in fighting crime. To which I say, have you ever seen The Wire?

Proposals are due by the end of the month.

The Saudi man accused of plotting to blow up George W. Bush’s Preston Hollow home has been found mentally competent for trial, a U.S. District Court judge determined this morning.

Khalid Ali-M Aldawsari has pleaded not guilty to charges of attempting to build a weapon of mass destruction. U.S. District Judge Sam Cummings found Aldawsari able to understand the charges against him and able to assist his attorneys in his defense.

His trial is set to begin April 30, in Lubbock.

The Lubbock Avalanche-Journal has been following this case for awhile; they’ll probably be the best source for news on this.

A man detained outside of former President George W. Bush’ s Preston Hollow home was released last night after being questioned by the U.S. Secret Service.

Secret Service spokesman Ed Donovan spoke with People Newspapers and confirmed the man did have a gun in his car but was not arrested thus could not release information detailing the incident.

Many news outlets reported the man was mentally deranged and was “spiritually told to pick up a package at the Bush home,”  but Donovan said he could not confirm that information since there was no official arrest report made.

When asked how the man got past the gate, what kind of gun he had and if the man was completely delusional, Donovan said he could not release any further details.

There’s nothing at DallasPolice.net that explicitly links all of these reported incidents near the corner of Park Lane and Central Expressway, but it doesn’t take one long to connect the dots.

18 WEDNESDAY

At 2 p.m., the rear driver’s side window of a silver 2012 Dodge sedan inexplicably shattered as the car traveled in the 7800 block of Park Lane.

At 6 p.m., two pellet guns were found in a department store at NorthPark Center.

Between 10 and 11 p.m., a gunman fired a shot into the window of an unoccupied office in the 9200 block of North Central Expressway. The bullet went through an interior wall and into a hallway, causing $3,000 worth of damage.

21 SATURDAY

At 8 p.m., police were alerted that a young man was seen carrying a gun at NorthPark Center. Officers found a suspect matching the witness’s description in the food court and discovered that he was carrying a BB gun. The young man was issued a citation for disorderly conduct and released to the custody of his 27-year-old mother.

We’ve fielded our share of bogus email forwards decrying the declining state of NorthPark Center, most notably a string of them in February referring to “gangs.” While we couldn’t corroborate those rumors, the latest viral email appears to be somewhat legitimate.

The email alleges that a gang beat up a Dallas Academy student near NorthPark last week, and that the manager of Macy’s refused to provide help when the bloodied teen’s friends brought him to the store to clean him up.

Here’s what we know:

• There was an assault on Jan. 2. According to Dallas police, “20 to 40″ people beat up a 17-year-old boy and two others in a parking lot in the 9100 block of North Central Expressway.
• The 17-year-old boy is a student at Dallas Academy, a school spokeswoman confirmed, and “a great kid.”
• NorthPark issued a statement through Androvett Media acknowledging the incident, but defending the actions of Macy’s employees. “Macy’s staff responded professionally and compassionately in assisting this young man by calling 911 and contacting the Dallas Police Department.”

We’ve tried to reach out to the 17-year-old’s parents. Look for more details in this week’s paper.

We’re not publishing a paper this week, and the police blotter in our Jan. 6 edition will not include the Christmas weekend. But surely all of the criminals stayed home with their families for the holiday, right? Wrong.

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This is normally the time of year where I’d put in some holly jolly post, telling you to be of good cheer and such. But December has been an unusually violent month in the otherwise sleepy Preston Hollow.

In addition to two gunpoint robberies, there have been eleven home burglaries, three of which occurred during the day while the owners were home.

Most commonly, the robbers rang the doorbell repeatedly with no answer before entering a home, presumably (and incorrectly) thinking the owners were away. But on Dec. 6 there was a home invasion at 11:30 a.m., where armed robbers forced their way into a home in the 7100 block of Brookshire Circle and stole $5,000 worth of jewelry.

For comparison, there were only four home burglaries in Dec. 1 through 20 in 2010, and none of them occurred while the owners were present.

My holiday message to you, faithful PHP readers, is to lock your doors, set the alarm, get a dog, and have a very merry— and safe— Christmas.

At 1:45 p.m. on Dec. 14, an 84-year-old Preston Hollow resident was robbed at gunpoint in the 4300 block of Woodfin Drive, near Midway Road. The robber threatened to shoot the woman before stealing nearly $500 worth of property including a $200 pair of reading glasses and a $50 Saks purse.

According to police, the robber fled in a gray two-door vehicle.  The woman, who lives on Thackery Street, was not harmed.