By Lori Ehde
Elaine Fick, rural Luverne, came home Wednesday afternoon to find that her bedroom had been ransacked.
Drawers were pulled out of dressers, and their contents were strewn on the floor.
"At first I was just confused, but then it dawned on me what happened," she said.
She and her husband, Ron, were the latest victims of a new string of local burglaries. In their case, thieves made off with gift money from their recent wedding.
"I can't even believe it," she said Friday. "It's such an invasion. I'm so mad they were in here. They were just dumping everything out."
She said she's especially grateful no one was hurt, because 18-year-old Melissa Fick was likely home when the burglary was underway.
"I left for work at 1:20, and Missy came home at 2," Elaine said. "She's pretty shaken, because with Carrie's (Nelson) murder, it's pretty scary for these kids."
The Ficks have been locking their doors at night, primarily because of Missy's fears, but they weren't prepared for a daytime burglary.
"They came in and stole money out of our bedroom in broad daylight," she said. "People need to be careful and know that no one is immune to this."
Rock County Sheriff Ron McClure said that's exactly the message he's trying to get to the public.
"I've never in all my 27 years at the Sheriff's Department seen such a rash of vandalism and burglary," he said Friday. "Even though this is a very good community, it's still vulnerable."
He said the homes that have been burglarized so far are those that are not locked.
So, his advice for area residents is to lock doors - including garages - when they're not home and to lock doors when they go to bed at night.
Also, he's asking neighbors to help each other out. "If they see anything strange, give us a call, because we'll need help to get this solved," McClure said.
With the added demands of the state park murder investigation, McClure said his staff has been scrambling.
"We're trying to fill in the holes and plug the leaks in the dam," he said. "We're going to be changing some shifts to have another car out there at night."
Since May 25, the Sheriff's Department has received reports of 10 thefts and burglaries and more than 30 reports of vandalism - mostly paint balls and spray paint.