Friday, July 18, 2008 --- 8:20 a.m.

According to a news release from the Middleton Police Department:

The Middleton Police Department is investigating the overnight burglaries to two homes, both of which were occupied by sleeping residents. One occured in the 6300 block of Countryside Dr. and the other occured no the 6200 block of Elmwood Ave. In each case, the suspect(s) entered the homes through unlocked doors. One homeowner had her purse and contents stolen, including credit cards, debit cards and cash. It does not appear at this time that anything is missing from the second house. One of the victims heard noises around 3:00 AM, which she now believes in retrospect is when the burglary occurred.

The Police Department is urging all homeowners, apartment dwellers and business owners to secure their property. At this time of year, it is easy to leave windows open, doors open and unlocked, garage doors open and cars unlocked. Even if the air conditioning is turned off, doors need to be locked and windows secured so that they can only be opened an amount small enough to prevent someone crawling through them.

If anyone has any information on these crimes, or any crimes, contact the Middleton Police Department at 827-1000, Tipster: 827-1007 or Madison Area Crime Stoppers: 266-6014.

The Middleton Police Department is available to provide crime prevention tips and security surveys to residents and businesses owners.