Abbotsford Police might have caught a suspected cat burglar, but now they're dealing with a series of rural robberies.
Five burglaries all took place between 7:30 a.m. and 6 p.m. on Monday, said Const. Ian MacDonald. In four cases, the front door was kicked in or pried open.
In two of those incidents, a TV, jewelry and cash were stolen. In the other two, the residents are still trying to determine what was taken.
In the fifth robbery, the culprit used a ladder to get into the home through an open second-storey window, and stole prescription medication. A bicycle was found abandoned on the property.
None of the residences was occupied at the time, indicating that the suspects likely knocked on the door or rang the doorbell first to see if anyone was home, MacDonald said.
He said the properties were located in areas where there weren't a lot of people around and where the homes were at least partially obscured from view.
The thefts took place at the following locations: the 2600 block of Lefeuvre Road, the 4500 block of Sumas Mountain Road, the 35200 block of Page Road, the 4100 block of Bradner Road, and the 2200 block of Mountain Drive.
MacDonald said the distance between the properties and their rural locations mean the suspects were likely travelling in a vehicle, rather than on foot.
He said, in the robbery on Sumas Mountain Road, a neighbour later reported having seen a suspicious white pickup in the area.
MacDonald advised residents to report any suspicious people or vehicles in their areas to the Abbotsford Police Department at 604-859-5225.
Last week, police reported that a series of cat burglaries had taken place in which the thief entered residences through sliding glass doors while the occupants were sleeping. A suspect, Clayton Brian Kopeck, 18, was charged on Friday with three counts of break-and-enter.