The Victim: Ken Norman
The Crime: Car burglary
Date: Monday, Nov. 15
Time: Between 9 p.m. and 8:25 a.m.
Location: 8700 block of Capri

Items from the glove box were scattered throughout the car.

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Ken Norman and his wife enjoy spending each summer with their kids in Galveston. Beach sand in the toes is a nice feeling, and the kids love building sandcastles and playing in the surf. But the drive is a bit long for the young ones, and their portable DVD player and twin video screens make the trip a bit more bearable.

“When you go on a trip for more than two hours, it’s really nice to have,” Norman says of the video system.

Unfortunately, the system was the target of a thief who recently broke into the Normans’ car sometime overnight.

“We came out to take the kids to school, and the contents of the glove box were scattered all over the car,” he says.

The burglars did more than take the video system. They snatched the Normans’ GPS system and an Apple iPod, and broke the driver’s side lock, door handle and power locks. The door handle alone cost $700 to repair, and replacing and repairing the rest would cost about $1,500.

The theft has been a real frustration for Norman.

“It’s just that feeling of violation that someone has gone through your things,” Norman says.

Norman says he has lived at his Highland Meadows home for six years, and has not experienced a burglary until now. He hoped he might be a less obvious target because his home is on a corner lot, and a streetlight is right in front of the house.

Norman knows other neighbors who have experienced thefts and break-ins, and says the neighborhood makes a concerted effort to warn fellow neighbors about crimes in the area.

“Our street and neighborhood association tries to make these things known by putting out fliers and letting people know,” Norman says.

Dallas Police Lt. Mackie D. Ham of the Northeast Patrol Division says the most important thing to remember is to avoid leaving any valuables in a car.

“It only takes seconds to punch a lock on a car door. It is very important that citizens do not leave any valuable items inside of the vehicle in plain sight,” he says. “I can almost guarantee that this suspect was walking around looking into vehicles. When he saw these items, he then broke into the vehicle.”

Ham also had a bit of good news on this case.

“We have identified the individual who pawned the GPS unit. Detectives will be working on the case to determine if they will be able to file on this individual.”