When Jim Grattelo returned to his Naples home from a night out last weekend, he found his dog out in the cold, the door kicked in and his house ransacked.

Robbers had broken into his home at 8 Ice House Lane and torn apart the house looking for valuables. Grattelo estimated they got away with $10,000 worth of electronics, cash and jewelry.

Grattelo’s wasn’t the only house hit. Lt. Don Foss of the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office said three houses in a neighborhood bordering the east side of Long Lake were burglarized between Friday and Sunday morning. Foss said the homes were combed for electronics, and he estimated several thousand dollars worth was stolen from each one.

Throughout the county, burglaries are on the rise, Foss added. “Every town within the last couple of months has experienced some degree of burglary,” he said. “It seems to be a very common act, unfortunately.”

All three houses robbed in Naples over the weekend were in a neighborhood Grattelo had considered very safe. Some residents who had lived there 35 years told him they couldn’t ever remember there being a burglary. Grattelo moved there four years ago.

About half of the members of his neighborhood association live there year-round and the other half are summer residents, Grattelo said. Two of the houses recently burglarized were year-round residences and one was a summer home, Foss said.

“They were pretty bold. You could tell we were living there,” Grattelo said. Though he and his girlfriend were out until 2 a.m. last weekend, usually they’re home earlier. Their schedules are not predictable, he added, still wondering whether the robbers had done some sort of canvassing.

Though the robbers did not break anything besides the door, Grattelo said his house was torn apart. They even stole blankets and comforters off the beds to wrap the televisions in.

After the incident, Grattelo said he plans to put in a surveillance system. Through owning the Portland Sports Complex, which includes Joker’s, he said he is familiar with surveillance systems.

“(But I) never thought that we’d need it here,” he added.

With a surveillance system, he’ll have pictures of cars and license plates that come near his home.

The burglary has had a greater impact than just leaving him without a TV and stereo, Grattelo said. Now his girlfriend’s 11-year-old son, who lives with the couple, is afraid to go to bed alone at night.

“He’s a mess,” Grattelo said. “He’s afraid to sleep alone now.”

The boy was worried about their Corgi being left out in the cold, and he’s worried the burglars might come back, Grattelo said.

“The worst feeling is not feeling safe,” Grattelo said.