HELENA — UPDATE: 4:00 p.m.: The Helena Police Department issued an update, writing: "We had another similar incident reported to us last night (August 25th) which matches the others we discussed below. As with the other cases that have been reported to us, last night’s incident occurred in the same general area (Broadway/south-central area of town) and the victim is a female who lives alone or is home alone at the time of the incident.
The Helena Police Department is actively investigating leads in the cases and urges everyone in the community to review their personal and home safety and security as discussed in yesterday’s release. As always, contact the police department if you have any information on these or similar incidents, and call 911 in the event of an emergency."
The Helena Police Department would like to take a moment to remind the public to always take precautions for securing your home when you’re away and at night when the household is asleep.
HPD took a recent report of an unknown person entering a home through a window on East Broadway Street near downtown while the resident was asleep.
The suspect was described as a white male wearing all black clothing and a face mask similar to a COVID-19 cloth mask. He entered the home through an open window. It is possible this burglary is related to other similar incidents in the area that happened between the end of July and early August while the residents were home.
All the cases are still under investigation.
We’re asking anyone with information about these or other similar incidents to contact Detective Sergeant Adam Shanks at (406) 457-8829, or anonymously provide information through Crimestoppers at (406) 443-2000 or via the website at www.helenacrimestoppers.com.
Residents are reminded to take steps to secure their residence.
Locking doors and windows is always a good idea, however there are other steps people can take to secure their homes such as:
- Placing window blocks in place so that open windows can only be opened a certain distance
- Reviewing locks on your doors and windows and the need for additional or updated security
- Consider any of the many low-cost home alarm or electronic monitoring and camera systems available on the market
- Periodically check your doors and windows to ensure they haven’t been tampered with, and report anything suspicious to law enforcement
Neighborhood security is everyone’s responsibility. Get to know your neighbors and understand what’s normal and abnormal for the neighborhood.
Take note of suspicious people or activity (odd times of day, odd actions, unknown people where they don’t belong such as in a back yard) and call law enforcement at the time these things are happening.
