As the economy begins to slowly improve, the housing market is becoming more active. This means that more people are beginning to put their homes on the market, which has led to an increase in open houses in Florida cities. For those trying to sell a home, sprucing up so a realtor can hold an open house is common procedure. However, at least one thing is new — taking precautions to avoid the increasing trend of prescription drug crime at open house events.
Realtors across the country — even right here in Florida — have claimed that suspected criminals are entering homes during open houses, pretending to be interested buyers. The alleged problem: as these “buyers” tour the home, they purportedly go through medicine cabinets and take any medications that are left behind. These purported prescription drug crimes are said to have increased at a faster pace than the theft of other items left in a home during an open house.
Some realtors are now taking steps to avoid such activity. In many cases, they are using special keys that record the identity of any person coming into a home using the realtor key. Though these steps help control the access to home, they will not deter those who might wish to procure prescription drugs during events such as open houses. Given the number and diversity of people who may view a home during an open house, accusations of prescription drug crime during such an event is a sensitive subject.
Being accused of any drug crime is serious in nature. If a Florida individual is accused of a prescription drug crime after visiting an open house — during which the foot traffic in the home may have been vast — there are important rights that might apply. As such, the accused may find it beneficial to obtain a working knowledge of those rights, including the right to a complete defense. As part of a solid defense, the accused will be able fully address allegations and work to protect his or her current legal freedoms. With individuals on high alert, it is not uncommon for an innocent person to become the target of false allegations.
Source: cbs12.com, “Special Report: Drug Thieves Targeting Open Houses,” July 3, 2012
