Neighborhood Crime Update

I just received an email from the President of Hope Ferry Plantation in Lexington and he has informed me that their neighborhood has experienced vandalism again. Their neighborhood was hit Sunday (March 13th) night. From what he understands, one car was stolen and several cars and trucks were ransacked (the doors were unlocked).  They suspect the work was done in the early morning hours.

On another note, Friday, March 11th there were 2 African-American young men soliciting in their neighborhood. They have “No Solicitation” signs and the men were advised of the signs, but continued to go door to door. One of the homeowners called the Lexington Police non-emergency line and reported the solicitors and an Officer arrived very quickly. They are not sure if the officer got the names of the solicitors, but will keep me posted.  Were the solicitors canvassing the neighborhood? That's hard to tell, but I don't believe in coincidences like this. The solicitors were in the neighborhood Friday night and early Monday morning/late Sunday night vehicles were broken into and one vehicle was stolen. 

As a reminder, I strongly urge you to make sure your vehicles are locked at all times of the day and night. As an added safety measure I recommend keeping your flood lights and/or porch lights on throughout the night. Please refer to the previous Blog Update regarding crime prevention.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding this, please do not hesitate emailing the Association at lexingtonhillspoa@gmail.com. 

Memorandum dated March 4, 2011 regarding Roundabouts

The following was sent out to all homeowners on Friday, March 4, 2011 regarding the Roundabouts that have been put in by Winter Ridge and Autumn Woods:

MEMORANDUM

To:  Lexington Hills Property Owners Association Homeowners

From: Lexington Hills Property Owners Association

Date: March 4, 2011

Dear Homeowners:

            As all homeowners are currently aware Lexington County has been making changes to the roads adding roundabouts. Please be aware that neither the Board of Director nor the Association had any control or input in this decision. The Board of Directors and Association had no involvement or knowledge that this was being done prior to the construction of the roundabouts.  Please feel free to call Lexington County Public Works at 803-785-8364 to voice any comments and concerns you may have.   

            Also, please be aware that the Association has contacted the Developer for the new community and have requested that the signage be removed from the Highway 6 entrance of the community.

            The Association is also in the process of creating a blog to keep you updated on things going on in the community and neighborhood. The blog website is http://lexingtonhillspoa.blogspot.com/.

Lexington Hills POA

I strongly encourage you to contact Lexington County Public Works at 803-785-8364 to get answers to your questions about the roundabouts and voice any opinions and concerns you may have. 

Halloween Schedule

I have received several email regarding the Halloween schedule.  I have asked some co-workers who live in Lexington County and also called Lexington County Sheriff's Department and Town of Lexington and they have all informed me it is up to the parents to determine when to trick-or-treat.  Lexington Town Council said they will NOT be designating or implementing special provisions in regards to Trick-or-Treating on Sunday, October 31, 2010.
In my opinion, Halloween is on Sunday, therefore I assumed the children would be trick-or-treating on Sunday early evening.

There is a sign that was posted in the neighborhood about "The Knolls" would be trick-or-treating on Saturday evening, that is for Summer Knoll and Spring Knoll.  Spring and Summer Knoll are not part of the original Lexington Hills Community, so I am not sure what they are doing. I do not have any contact with their board or anyone that lives there. 

 

I am sorry, I wish I could be more help. In my opinion, I would assume people would be participating in Halloween festivities on Sunday, but I am not 100% sure about this. 

 

If anyone has any additional information, please send an email to lexingtonhillspoa@gmail.com

 

Thank you!

Update on Crime in Neighborhood

I have been talking with a board member of another neighborhood similar to ours in the area.  He informed me that there were more break-ins last night in another neighborhood near Lexington Hills. 

Farming Creek (near the intersection of Old Cherokee Rd and St. Peters Church Rd) was hit last night by thieves. It was the same method of operation that occurred in our neighborhoods. Small items were stolen, and several cars/truck windows were broken.  There is also word that a couple of homes were broken into as well but they're for sale with no one living in them.

Also a neighbor in Hope Ferry Plantation reported that her dog woke her up around 4:30 A.M. this morning and she saw a pickup truck with two white males (one with a red ball cap) stopped in front of a house. The
truck moved forward and stopped in front of another house before driving out of sight. The e-mail didn't say if the police were called.

An officer with Lexington County said that vehicle break-ins are the biggest crime in Lexington and suspicious activity like our resident saw was worthy of a 911 call. He said the belief among local police and sheriff's departments is that the group doing the break-ins is from Georgia. They operate in an organized fashion with a vehicle and several thieves. The vehicle stops while the thieves do their job, load up, drive a little farther, repeat process.

I would like to remind everyone to make sure you remove all valuables from plain sight and report any suspicious activity to the police. 

If you have any further information about the thieves, break-ins or vandalism, please let us know. 

Mugging at local Wal-Mart on Saturday

FYI - A friend of one of the residents was shopping at Wal-Mart on Saturday and while there a lady customer on the way to her car was mugged by 2 guys. The guys pushed her to the ground because she wouldn't turn over her purse to them.  This incident happened around 3:30 PM on Saturday, October 23, 2010.

I have not confirmed this with Lexington County yet.

Neighborhood Watch Crime Notice

I hope you received your Neighborhood Watch Crime Notice in the mail over the weekend.  There is one thing I would like to add. I was talking with my neighbor over the weekend and he informed me that his storage shed was vandalized on Thursday night.  He doesn't have a garage and has a small storage shed that is attached to the back of his house where he keeps his lawn equipment, tools, pressure washer, etc.  His pressure washer was taken as well as some power tools.  Please make sure that if you have a storage shed or a storage area that is attached to the outside of your house that you keep a secure lock on it.  The locks that the builder put on are basic handle locks. I would suggest installing a padlock or a deadbolt to prevent easy break-in's. 

Also, it is very important that you report any theft, break-in's, vandalism, etc. to the Lexington County Sheriff's Office. Deputy Parker told me at the Annual Meeting that a lot of the items are eventually recovered, but if the homeowner doesn't report them stolen, they can't be returned to the rightful owner.

 NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH

CRIME NOTICE

 

        It’s October and as many of you are aware, we have had a string of vehicle break-ins and several home break-ins over the last 6 months.  Monday night we had one of the worst rounds of car break-ins in the history of Lexington Hills.  The thieves targeted vehicles while we were all asleep.  Unfortunately, the bad guys don’t always work at night and vehicles aren’t the target every time.  The purpose of this letter is to remind everyone what the thieves are looking for so you won’t be a victim.

            Thieves look for valuable items that they can sell for quick cash.  For vehicles, items of interest are wallets and purses, electronics (computers, MP3 players, cameras, GPS units, etc), weapons, cash, etc.  We can take this a step further and assume that anything in our garages/outdoor storage areas that can be carried away easily is a target, too.

            So, I have attached a short checklist of things we can all do to prevent being a target and keep our neighborhood safe from crime.

     One more item I’d like to address: safety.  Please respect the posted speed limit on ALL streets.  We have a lot of children who play outside and there are neighbors who routinely walk or run the streets for exercise.  It would be devastating to be responsible for hitting someone while driving your vehicle.  Again, please do not exceed the speed limit.

     We are looking for volunteers to help initiate a Neighborhood Crime Watch through the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department and volunteers to be Block Captains.  It would be great to have one Block Captain for a group of no more than 15-18 homes.  If you’re interested in becoming a volunteer and/or a Block Captain, please e-mail Lexington Hills at LexingtonhillsPOA@gmail.com and we’ll pass along more information as it comes.

     The Association has started a blog to keep homeowners updated on current activity/crime in the community as well as other helpful information.  The Blog is located at http://www.LexingtonHillsPOA.blogspot.com.  This flier will be posted on the web site for your convenience.  Please email LexingtonhillsPOA@gmail.com with any blog suggestions!

CRIME PREVENTION

CHECKLIST

1.                 Become familiar with your neighbors and their vehicles.

2.                 Keep as many vehicles parked in your garage as possible. Parking vehicles on the street allows the thieves easy access to your vehicle.

3.                 If you keep a vehicle outside make sure no pilferable items can be seen (hide items under seats, in the glove box, etc.).

4.                 Lock the doors and keep the windows rolled up. 

5.                 Keep garage doors closed as much as practicable day and night.

6.                 Keep an eye out for suspicious vehicles. If you see a “prowling” vehicle in the neighborhood, write down the license plate number, description of vehicle and its occupants.

7.                 Keep an eye out for suspicious people wandering (walking) around the neighborhood, especially those wandering at night. Write down the description of the individual, location he/she was seen and approximate time.

8.                 Keep trusted neighbors aware of any travel plans you may have and make sure they have up-to-date contact information (cell phone number) and a key (in case your home develops a leak, etc. while you’re away).

9.                 Install double cylinder deadbolt locks on all exterior doors and appropriate locks for sliding doors and windows.

10.             Prune shrubbery so it doesn’t block doors and windows and allow thieves to be undetected.

11.             Keep outside lights on at night (flood lights) and install motion detector lights.

Accordingly to Lexington County statistics, trailers and boats are hot ticket items for thieves these days and trailer and boat thefts are on the increase throughout Lexington and the surrounding counties.

Thank you!
Lexington Hills Property Owners Association

MJS, Inc. Contact Information

Violation Complaints/Issues
violations@mjsmgt.com

Architectural Review Information
architecturalreview@mjsmgt.com

MJS, Inc.
4910 Trenholm Road, Suite C
Columbia, South Carolina 29206
Phone: 803-743-0600
Fax: 803-790-0340
General Email: mjs@mjsmgt.com