In Enemy Swim Lake area break-ins, burglars often leave valuables behind

Enemy Swim Lake area residents have been dealing with a puzzling string of burglaries during the past several weeks.

The most confusing part? Some residents have reported nothing being stolen.

Steve Charron, who owns a cabin at Enemy Swim Lake, which is north of Waubay, said his house has been burglarized twice in the past six months. Prior to that, he had gone 15 years without incident, only occasionally hearing about other residents’ homes being broken into.

While Charron said he can’t be entirely sure, he suspects the burglaries were committed by the same people. Each time his window had been smashed and clothes had been taken out of their drawers and thrown onto the floor. The coin jar next to his bed was emptied. But instead of the coins being taken, they were simply thrown on the floor around the house. And each time, Charron said, he could not determine whether anything had been taken.

Daryl Skancke, who also owns a cabin at Enemy Swim, gave a similar account of what happened when his home was broken into.

More Enemy Swim Lake news: Here's how Enemy Swim Lake successfully kept zebra mussels at bay this summer

Skancke’s clothes were thrown on the floor and his coin jar was dumped out. His refrigerator door was left open, but nothing was missing from it. But Skancke did note a few missing things: a Roku, a TV remote that does not go with the Roku and computer speakers that Skancke estimates are worth $5. Several things of value were sifted through but were not taken. Skancke’s pistol, however, was missing, meaning the burglars could be armed. A bullet was shot into the wall, he said.

Skancke has security cameras and alarms in his house. The burglars cut the power cords in his house in an apparent attempt to get the alarms to shut off, he said. They also threw Skancke’s security camera on the floor, but not before it was able to get a picture of their faces.

While neither Charron nor Skancke were present at the time of the break-ins, Charron said his neighbor woke up when she heard people attempting to enter her cabin in the middle of the night. She turned on the lights, and the burglars fled as soon as they realized someone was home, Charron said.

More local news: Both Watertown, Aberdeen see strong sales tax collections so far in 2021

Day County Sheriff Jerred Schreur said he cannot assume the identities of the burglars based solely on photos. But, he said, the nature of the break-ins — such as the smashing of windows instead of entering through a door — points to juveniles. And the fact that the refrigerator doors had been left open means the burglars were probably looking for alcohol, Schreur said.

However, Skancke said, none of his alcohol was taken. Similarly, Charron's refrigerator was left open, though there was no alcohol in the house.

Schreur said that while he understands it is frustrating for the residents who are having their cabins broken into, he cannot make an arrest based on people thinking they know the identity of the burglars. Additionally, the department is extremely short staffed.

“It is a battle to simply just patrol that area, let alone the rest of the county,” he said.

More: In South Dakota, many parents are hesitant about COVID-19 vaccinations for their kids

During the past three weeks, Schreur estimates there have been about 10 burglaries and vandalism incidents. He said that in some cases there have just been rocks thrown at windows, but no signs of entry.

Burglaries tend to ramp up in the late fall as people begin to spend less time at their seasonal cabins, he said.

If the burglars happen to be tribal members, they can easily flee onto tribal lands, Schreur said, which is another complicating factor.

The situation is frustrating for the sheriff's department, too, he said. He said he spent time during the Thanksgiving patrolling the area, but there were no reports of burglaries.

Anyone with information regarding the burglaries can call the Day County Sheriff's Office at (605)-345-3222.

This article originally appeared on Aberdeen News: Enemy Swim area burglars often leave valuable items behind. Why?