A 40-year-old woman has been arrested in Kill Devil Hills for allegedly breaking into homes in her neighborhood over the past few months.
Residents in eleven homes off of Live Oak Court had reported that their home were broken into a dozen times since July.
The thief stole primarily cash and prescription medication. Electronics, jewelry and other valuables were left untouched.
Entry was usually made by breaking out a window. Each entry happened during the daytime, sometimes during very narrow windows of opportunity.
The Kill Devil Hills Police Department responded to this localized crime spike in a variety of ways, including extra patrols, electronic surveillance, motion sensor alarms, and extended surveillance operations.
The efforts finally paid off when one camera caught an image of a person moving through the back yard of one of the victims.
The suspect turned out to be one of the neighborhood residents, Lillian Walworth.
She was questioned by detectives and eventually admitted to breaking into the homes.
Walworth was arrested and charged with 6 separate counts of felonious breaking and entering. Additional charges are pending. She was placed under a $9000 secured bond.
A search warrant was served at her residence and items related to the alleged crimes, including a hammer and a sweatshirt with glass shards in the fabric, were recovered.
