Encino residents face 2 new break-ins after Monday's meeting about crime in area
'Real Housewives' star's Encino home burglarized
The Encino home of "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" star Teddi Mellencamp was broken into. This comes the same day as a community meeting to discuss a recent string of crimes in Encino.
LOS ANGELES - The irony of two break-ins in Encino, hours after residents met with law enforcement officials to talk about the recent rash of burglaries in their area, is not lost on homeowners on Hayvenhurst, especially Edwin Arroyave. He was at home with his four kids and their mother, "Real Housewives" star Teddi Mellencamp, when burglars broke into their home last night, running off when the alarm went off.
"What else can we do?" said one exasperated resident of Enfield Avenue, where another home was broken into ten minutes prior. Like most we spoke to, this resident did not want their face on camera or identity revealed, saying, "We are being targeted, despite spending money on security systems, even replacing expensive vehicles with less affluent-looking ones, for fear of being followed home! It’s scary."
Their concern is understandable. A 22-year-old man has just been charged with the murder of "American Idol" music supervisor Robin Kaye and her husband, Thomas Deluca. Prosecutors say Raymond Boudarian, of Encino, shot the couple when they surprised him during a burglary at their home last week.
L.A. County District Attorney Nathan Hochman was among the officials who attended the meeting last night, trying to calm residents, along with LAPD officials like Deputy Chief Marla Ciuffetelli, who admitted that talking about crime reductions in the Valley "falls kind of flat" in light of the killings.
She says they are adding to the already expanded patrols in the area, carrying out surveillance, even using mobile license plate readers. LAPD is also expanding their citizen patrol program, asking more people to volunteer, saying the more eyes they have in the community, the better chances to catch those responsible.
If you want to find out more, you can go to lapdonline.org and click on the "Get Involved" tab or just reach out to your neighborhood police station.