Burglary victims feel 'violated'

By TED SULLIVAN   Thursday, Feb. 5, 2009
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Tips to avoid burglaries


-- Lock your doors.

-- Lock your windows.

-- Keep your purses and valuables out of plain sight.

-- Leave the lights on when you're not home.

-- Don't let mail or newspapers stack up.

-- Make the home appear occupied.

-- Get an alarm.

-- Ask neighbors to watch your home.

— Arthur Zoellner was angry after a silverware set given to his parents for their wedding was stolen in a burglary.

"My mom and dad are both dead now, and it was kind of sentimental," said Zoellner, 67. "When I saw it, I thought of them."

Zoellner is one of many burglary victims who hate the thought of strangers combing through their personal belongings.

He is one of nearly 600 people who reported burglaries to the Janesville Police Department or Rock County Sheriff's Office in 2008.

"I felt kind of violated and pissed off, kind of like, 'Why me?' I haven't done anything," he said. "I just was angry that it happened."

His reaction is common.

People feel a wide range of emotions when their homes have been burglarized, Janesville Police Lt. Tim Hiers said.

They might feel angry or unsafe, he said. And they might be sad if an irreplaceable object is stolen.

"Those are pretty normal reactions," Hiers said.

Burglary victims also might worry that it will happen again. Investigators give them tips on how to protect themselves, Rock County Sheriff's Capt. Todd Christiansen said.

"The best thing to do is make the burglar think you're home," he said.

In Zoellner's case, his home and shed along Countyline Road outside Whitewater were burglarized. He has no idea who might have stolen from him. No arrests were made.

His gas grill and weed eater also were taken.

But nothing bothered him more than losing the collectible silverware set given to his parents in 1940.

The five-piece setting for 10 people was valued at $500, but the money was nothing compared to losing the family heirloom.

"It meant a lot to me," Zoellner said.

reader COMMENTS
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(90)
etown
Feb 9, 2009 at 8:27 p.m.
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hannah i was responding to you ,i said i was stating that in general, if you saw yourself in that post , then thats the first step to solving your problem . and you didnt admit you lied i never commented on your grammar or your typing everyone can check my post s and see , btw half your posts on this blog havent been about the article, if your gonna quote what i said you could at least get it right,

PollyAnna
Feb 9, 2009 at 6:53 p.m.
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Hannah, They did not have deer heads it was full deer bodies that were stuffed. The home owner dressed as Santa for the neighborhood children. It was next door to Helgesen's and people vandelized the display.

gazettefan
Feb 9, 2009 at 6:22 p.m.
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tjncj, no one has to ask me; you already admitted you have a smarts problem. Why don't you and your sidekick just comment on the story? And if you're going to claim you're not reading hannah's and my posts, stop looking foolish by responding to them.

tjncj
Feb 9, 2009 at 5:44 p.m.
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Well etown, I know I'm not as smart as GF, just ask him! Hannah, well..... just let me say I'd take my chances against her on Jeopardy.....

etown
Feb 9, 2009 at 5:02 p.m.
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maybe im from a different world but when somone puts your name at the beginning of their posts they are writing to you, someone correct me if im wrong ..lol , as far as my comment to beeferer, it was meant in general some people just want to post their opinion and not be questioned on it , if you post you should be mature enough to handle comments made about your post. and i have never commented on anyones grammar or spelling, the only thing i have ever said is about serial posting, tjncj, maybe were not as smart as they are, the two of us combined couldnt even type half their post s in one year, maybe they could become penpals lol

gazettefan
Feb 9, 2009 at 2:41 p.m.
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From the records page:
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BURGLARY in the ___ block of West ______ Street, Janesville, reported Thursday. Taken was a jug of homemade wine.
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If someone stole a jug of homemade wine from me, I'd take it as a compliment!

TechMasterFlex
Feb 9, 2009 at 1:59 p.m.
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A word to the wise, if you call the police for anything, follow up on it and make sure they are doing something about it.

gazettefan
Feb 9, 2009 at 1:47 p.m.
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tjncj, your androgynous ideation reveals your deep-rooted, unsolved gender identity problem -still repressed, no doubt, as a result of severe religiosity. Everybody knows you read hannah's and my posts. You're not fooling anyone.

tjncj
Feb 9, 2009 at 11:39 a.m.
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Too funny. I saw the posts of e-town and beeferer and went against my rule of not reading those two (G & H) I may have to rethink it because of the laughs I am missing. I especially got a chuckle out of:

"Anyone with any sense should appreciate how well hannah succinctly articulates lucid and important points."-Gfan.

Actually I think those two may be the same person but there is a split personality "Sybil" sort of thing going on. That or they meet every morning for a little Irish coffee before going off to blog land.

On second thought I will continue to follow my rule and encourage others to as well. Thanks for those of you who e-mailed me directly with your support.

etown
Feb 8, 2009 at 9:26 p.m.
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wow you serial bloggers are amazing , i make a comment to someone not the one your defending, and then the one your defending comments me and when i respond im picking on them ? if you dont want my opinion then dont then why would you write to me in the first place?

SarahB
Feb 8, 2009 at 7:16 p.m.
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etown: Give Hannah a break, OK? Go pick on somebody else if you're having a bad day.

etown
Feb 8, 2009 at 11:37 a.m.
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yes in the past i read her posts but soon realized that the stories get bigger and better each time they are told, and go on forever , like i said i only respond to her if she writes to me

gazettefan
Feb 8, 2009 at 10:15 a.m.
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e-town, yes I read her posts. Do you really read her posts or do you only focus on imperfections of style?

And the privacy of email exchanges should be honored.

etown
Feb 8, 2009 at 9:53 a.m.
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gazettefan, do you not read her posts , she wrote to me and i responded to her , every time i post she does it ,

gmaof3
Feb 8, 2009 at 8:34 a.m.
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The crooks were caught here in Milton just a couple of weeks ago. We had a rash of burglaries which made all of us uneasy. Keeping doors and windows locked is a good deterrent but a dog makes your home more of a challenge and less appealing. Why "bother" trying to get into a house with a dog?

These robberies were tied to drugs... These robbers were kids... I'm just sickened with what each decade brings. I used to feel safe and life was easier. Now, we don't dare leave our possessions unsecured for even a moment. Nothing is sacred anymore and there is a lack of regard for others. Sad....

gazettefan
Feb 8, 2009 at 6:46 a.m.
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e-town, hannah made herself clear. How are your insulting posts an improvement on anything? Lighten up.

etown
Feb 7, 2009 at 10:01 p.m.
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hannah , again was your name on that post? i was responding to beeferer comment like i said before your a lonely serial poster who knows everything , has done everything or has advice on it which i dont need , and it s almost impossible to post on one of these blogs that you havent posted on , so get over yourself

gazettefan
Feb 7, 2009 at 1:54 p.m.
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hannah, did you get a fair price for the car? It was new. wasn't it? Was the check almost as much as what you paid?

etown
Feb 6, 2009 at 10:02 p.m.
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i got advice for you beeferer, just ignore the posts that make no sense, its ok for someone to put a post on here that makes no sense but try to understand it or ask questions and your a dumb bully lol

truecitizen
Feb 6, 2009 at 12:29 p.m.
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Schulist. Yes I agree. They (criminals) have too much rights I believe. Protection of property, pets is important, but protection of family is more so.

beeferer
Feb 6, 2009 at 11:34 a.m.
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I give up. My apologies to anyone I may have inadvertently offended- especially you, Hannah. I am only trying to understand what is being said. I guess I should heed the advice I have gotten from all the people who have emailed me regarding Hannah. From now on I will do just that. I am not going to say what advice was given me because I don't want Hannah to take it wrong.

moose
Feb 6, 2009 at 11:16 a.m.
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One more thing hannah. It wasn't nice to call beeferer dumb just because he can't understand your typing. I think thats a problem for alot of us.

moose
Feb 6, 2009 at 11:12 a.m.
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I got to say I can't figure out what hannah is trying to say in most of her comments either. I don't see where beeferer was being a bully at all. I thought he was funny. It's not her spelling. I can't spell for sh**. It's the way she writes a sentence. I'm sure she doesnt talk like she writes. Maybe if she SLOW DOWN, and take a minute to preview comment and correct her mistakes then everyone would know what she was trying to say.

Opinionsforfree
Feb 6, 2009 at 10:42 a.m.
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I understand that hannha is trying to make a point. She should really think about taking a grammar or typing class though. As far as the article. Everyone start DVRing the show "to catch a thief" you can learn a ton from this show

thediplomat
Feb 6, 2009 at 9:48 a.m.
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Attention Spelling and Grammar Nazis: Get a life! When all you have to resort to are comments on spelling and grammar, it is very apparent that you do not have any valid point or counterpoint. With that being said, let’s get this thread back to the topic at hand.

gazettefan
Feb 6, 2009 at 9:15 a.m.
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Wasp, well said re: hannah. Anyone with any sense should appreciate how well hannah succinctly articulates lucid and important points.

Wasp
Feb 6, 2009 at 9:09 a.m.
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Hey Beefer,

In many respects bullying is just like self harming, except that the harm is measured out to others. Self harmers feel that they are worthless and attack themselves, bullies know that they are wprthless but they take it out on other people instead of themselves.

Of course, there are some bullies who are just sociopaths. There is more going on in this case than what I have said above as that is a form of mental illness with different measures behind it in many cases.

lovemycountry
Feb 6, 2009 at 9:02 a.m.
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Guns Are The Best Deterrent Against Burglaries.
-
When sexual assaults started rising in Orlando, Fla., in 1986, police officers noticed women were arming themselves, so they launched a firearms safety course for them. Over the next 12 months, sexual assaults plummeted by 88 percent, burglaries fell by 25 percent and not one of the 2,500 women who took the course fired a gun in a confrontation.
-
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?p...

beeferer
Feb 6, 2009 at 8:37 a.m.
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Let me rephrase that so you can read it: Hey Hnanah- wree you the ognirial athuor of tihs airlcte bcak in 2003? Or wree you the sejucbt of the sudty for pepole affticeld wtih tmyigyecpola?

beeferer
Feb 6, 2009 at 8:36 a.m.
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"Aoccdrnig to rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy...," Hey Hannah- were you the original author of this article back in 2003? Or were you the subject of the study for people afflicted with typoglycemia?

befair
Feb 5, 2009 at 11:56 p.m.
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Our home was burglarized last summer while we were there, in bed sleeping! We now have a security system and a full array of motion detector lights surrounding our property. Will we ever feel safe and at peace in our own home again? I doubt it. Will the crooks ever be found? I doubt it.

Our business has also had three robberies over the past 15 years, all unsolved crimes.

My best advice is to not make light of Janesville's crime situation. Take steps to protect yourself and your property -- nonviolently. You could easily be the next victim.

schulist
Feb 5, 2009 at 8:50 p.m.
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truecitizen - good points add another, if you can escape. go out another door, call for help are also questions that can be asked. I feel sorry for anyone of a crime, and yes stealing a tv the judge does not give a death sentence, But what about the criminal taking responsibility for his/her action? We are a nation of laws and part of that is protection of my family, pets and property.

partarican1
Feb 5, 2009 at 6:53 p.m.
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I hope none of you ever gets burglarized. It's a horrible experience.

To ihavealife- put down the bong and quit being a jerk.

crafty
Feb 5, 2009 at 6:11 p.m.
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loaded, cocked, and ready to rock. Come and try me, druggies.

gazettefan
Feb 5, 2009 at 4:23 p.m.
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hannah, sign language. LOL

chainsawchuckie
Feb 5, 2009 at 4:23 p.m.
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Hannah that was way to funny!! the spelling police will be so confuzzeled now trying to figure out what this says!! LMAO

can you read this beefer- I can!!!!

maybe I am smarter than you.

Aoccdrnig to rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a toatl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe.

gazettefan
Feb 5, 2009 at 4:22 p.m.
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boater, you may riled you-know-who up.

greengina8
Feb 5, 2009 at 3:20 p.m.
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Yes! I wish that noone should have to go through the ordeal of a break-in. I fear that with the rise in unemployment the rate of crimes like these will also rise. I just hope that those who do can have the courage to stand up for themselves. I feel bad for the people named in the article. Heirlooms are irreplaceable.

Chiller
Feb 5, 2009 at 3:15 p.m.
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see 2:41 and 2:45 posts

Chiller
Feb 5, 2009 at 3:11 p.m.
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Last two comments....Uh Oh, I think we went thru the pet article once before.

mespl
Feb 5, 2009 at 3:07 p.m.
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Ihavealife: It sounds like you have a specific problem with a specific person, not much of a useful comment. It is not useful because you are clamming some mysterious ratio of allowing an animal to suffer for 1.5 years is the point when someone should not have pets, so is it ok to let an animal to suffer for one year? The first sentence states everything needed as for the rest you should talk directly to that specific person about not post on a blog about. The dog idea is a good one if you want dogs and like them not for a sole purpose of protecting your house you could get a security system to do that that would cost less in the long run. Also remember if your pet injures the criminal they can sue and they will win, it sucks I know. Just like if you shoot them and they live they can sue and possibly win especially if they were unarmed, if they pass away then their family could sue and win especially if they were unarmed. All of these scenarios suck more than I can say and I am not telling you what to do, I know if someone breaks into my house weather I am there or not I will probably get sued: big, good dog who loves his family very much. Let us all hope that we are lucky enough to avoid this situation all together.

greengina8
Feb 5, 2009 at 2:58 p.m.
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ihavealife- Guess I judged when I called you hostile, huh? Sorry about that. Won't happen again. The point I am trying to make is having a gun is not always the answer. Not everyone is trained to use the weapons they own and that's dangerous, too.

An eye for an eye leaves everyone blind, correct?

It sucks when people have to resort to crime to have things they need. I can understand people stealing from a grocery store if they can't get help from a food pantry. What I don't get is how people can get away with stealing other personal items and then taking them to a pawn shop. I know a few who work with the JPD and RCS to nab criminals for this kind of stuff. But is there really a market for silverware?

greengina8
Feb 5, 2009 at 2:45 p.m.
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ihavealife-my dog is under the care of a great vet in janesville. I can't afford an expensive operation that might not work. We are looking into the UW Madison system to see if they can help, but even my vet is leary about performing a surgery that is in his opinion at best a 50-50 chance for success. I don't judge you, so don't judge me. I take very good care of my pets, and I bet they would not let you in if you came to my house because they don't like hostile people, and you seem a little hostile to me.

spark
Feb 5, 2009 at 2:33 p.m.
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Or train your dog how to use a gun.

greengina8
Feb 5, 2009 at 2:11 p.m.
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Get a dog, or several dogs. They provide around the clock protection. And it doesn't have to be a trained attack dog, either. As long is the dog is even slightly trained to sit or lay down, and you treat it well, it will defend you with it's life every time. A small dog is as formidable an opponent to a potential burglar as a large dog.

gazettefan
Feb 5, 2009 at 1:54 p.m.
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Hey, beefeater, rudeness is worse!!!

spark
Feb 5, 2009 at 12:58 p.m.
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schulist- WI have a "Make my day law?" Ya right. This state is so liberal, that would make too much sense. Conceal and Carry, or any of that will take forever for WI to get the picture. They'd rather give the criminal more rights than the victim. It's ridiculous. For those of you that don't know, the "Make my day law" is an actual law in states.

biggirl
Feb 5, 2009 at 12:10 p.m.
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I'd really like to find out more information about this, and if there are so many burglaries out there, there must be some convicted burglars to talk to (as well as police records to analyze). Is the stuff returned finally? What does the burglar typically do with the stuff -- sell it?, if so where? What areas, if any, have been targeted? Such hard information, insofar as it is available, would be quite useful.

truecitizen
Feb 5, 2009 at 12:02 p.m.
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"schulist"...just remember...The justifications for any 'reasonble' act are given the same basic tests as they give to law enforcement. Basically, If you don't feel your life and/ or other lives in the home are not in danger, you are not justified to use deadly force. I know, how can any regular Joe know all that, especially when their home is being invaded. As much as some people would like to...it's just not reasonable to end a life over some simple property being stolen. Then again, how do you know if your not in danger in your home when the burglar is there? But I like your phrase "Make my day"-law. It all comes down to 'what was reasonable', and what you report to the responding officers.
*
Forgive the input...I ramble! I hate thieves!. If it isn't yours, keep your hands off of it, right? I would too feel violated, and maybe the victims (Zoellner) in this article can remember with thoughts, now that the precious items are gone.

beeferer
Feb 5, 2009 at 11:34 a.m.
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Not making any headway here.

beeferer
Feb 5, 2009 at 11:34 a.m.
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"i HAD of empty small boxes near my dresser was dumped on my bed and left there." ?!?!?!

beeferer
Feb 5, 2009 at 11:19 a.m.
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Nice story, I'll bet. For the life of me I just can't seem to understand any of Hannah's posts.
"i bad of empty small boxes near my dresser was dumped on my bed and left there." ?!?!?!??

schulist
Feb 5, 2009 at 10:04 a.m.
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Does WI have a "Make my day" law? or does it matter, if my dogs don't get them I sure will

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