By Hudson Pace and William Britt

Photo credit: WTVR.

Recently, a string of attempted break-ins in the Richmond area has hit Collegiate families. The South American Theft Group, an organized crime group, sends its members to the U.S. on tourist visas. They then break into wealthy households, grabbing cash, jewelry, and anything else they can find. Recently, Richmond has become a major target of these groups, especially in neighborhoods such as Rivergate and Lower Tuckahoe. 

We discovered this story when talking to Slate Lambert (‘23). He discussed how he heard a story about how his fellow Collegiate Upper Schooler’s house was almost robbed. The family, residents of Rivergate, had their house approached by a man in a mask and baseball cap the night of April 12 at around 9 p.m. The man knocked on the door and rang the doorbell, but thanks to an exterior camera, the family saw the man and did not answer. They were able to take a screenshot of the man from the camera feed.

Photo credit: Goochland County Sheriff’s Office.

The Collegiate family is confident that this man was a part of the South American Theft Group, which is suspected to be behind the robberies of three Rivergate homes in the last several months. Other Collegiate Rivergate residents have heard of other attempted robberies recently, labeling this group of thieves as very active.

The Goochland Sheriff’s Office has put out a warning for everyone in the county to be extremely cautious, telling them to lock all doors, windows, and even cars at all times.