Residents in the Appleton community are concerned about their safety and their possessions after three homes were burglarized over the weekend. The break-ins ended with 21 guns and numerous pieces of electronics and jewelry taken, officials said.

Escambia County Chief Deputy Mike Lambert said the investigation is on going and all leads are being followed.

“We were able to get some good evidence at one of the locations,” Lambert said. “We are still asking for help from anyone in the area who may have seen anything out of the ordinary from Friday to Sunday, when the break ins were reported.”

Lambert said the string of burglaries began sometime Friday afternoon and ended with a third call into the department on Sunday. The area ran from the Lowery Landing Road area to Tippens Eddy Road area.

“All of the homes that were broken into were done the same way,” Lambert said. “The back door of the homes were kicked in and the same kind of items were taken at each of the homes.” Lambert said six firearms were taken from one residence and 15 firearms were taken at a second home. “Along with all the firearms, the homeowners lost electronics, jewelry and even some musical instruments,” Lambert said. “On Monday, one of the homeowners went to his shed and found that someone had tried to steal the motor from his boat. Something must have scared them off since they were not successful in taking it off the boat.” Lambert said there is the possibility that the person or persons responsible for the cases may have had knowledge that the homeowners were not at home allowing them an opportunity to break in and make off with the stolen goods. “We want to encourage everyone to take as many precautions as they can to prevent this kind of thing,” Lambert said. “We have certainly increased our patrols in the area to see if anything unusual can be determined to help lead us to the ones responsible for these break-ins. Having locking gun safes is a good idea if you have firearms in the home and surveillance is always a good idea for everyone.” Lambert said help from residents in the community can be very helpful in the on-going investigation into these cases. “If anyone saw anything out of the ordinary or if they have knowledge of where the stolen merchandise may be, that information would be helpful in solving these cases,” Lambert said. To report information to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Department, call 867-0304.