Midtown residents didn't plan on thefts

06:12 PM CST on Monday, December 13, 2004

By Carolyn Mungo / 11 News

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It's prime real estate now but not long ago, the part of Houston called Midtown was filled with abandoned buildings.

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Townhome owners in Midtown weren't prepared for the thefts that have plagued them.

While recent high-end development has brought in plenty of new homeowners, many say they've gotten more than they bargained for.

Visit any suburban neighborhood and you're bound to see holiday decorations.

Residents in the newly developed neighborhood of Midtown say they tried the holiday spirit, until someone stole it.

"Every one of these chairs are, if you'll see, it's got the chains. Rocking chairs, they're all chained to the walls in the house," says townhouse owner Richard Denham.

Richard Denham's Christmas lights were stolen last week. He tries to protect himself against thieves, but he couldn't chain Christmas lights.

"It's really ridiculous we have to live like this," Denham says.

Denham says his upscale townhome has been burglarized several times. It's what prompted him to install a motion sensor and siren, and he is not alone.

"I came in the same afternoon to check my lights, and they were stolen also," says nearby resident Marjorie Cerejo.

"I'm not going to put up any this year because I've seen what they've gone through," townhome owner Robert Gray says.

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Even the rocking chairs are chained to the house to prevent thieves from taking them.

Some say this is just the price you pay for moving into a neighborhood in transition, but residents here insist they had no idea theft would be a daily occurrence.

"When we moved here I didn't know my wife's car would get broken into. I didn't know a transient would be drinking a beer in my garage, stealing my fishing tackle. I didn't know I'd have to spend thousands of dollars on a security gate," says resident Mark Oehl.

Even though Midtown is filled with pricey real estate, there are still abandoned buildings.

"I used to have really nice plants here, but they're gone," says Denham.

Revitalization must apparently be a work in progress -- at least for these townhome owners.