AUSTIN — Williamson County is working to fully secure the entrance to the cave on Cambria Drive in Brushy Creek after the sheriff's office received a report that someone tried to break into it.
The cave was discovered nearly two months ago on Feb. 9 when a water line broke and the cave collapsed.
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"For me, it's getting more and more inconvenient to not be able to park in my house,” said neighbor Tim Kelley, who lives next to the cave opening. Since the collapse, Kelley has kept his eye on the cave.
Sunday morning he noticed a barrier was moved and grassy material moved from underneath the cover. On Monday morning he noticed a wider gap under the cover and a change to the cave’s hatch.
“All the screws were removed from the hardware in the hatch, defeating the lock,” Kelley said.
HOA president Andrew Johnson has spoken to concerned neighbors about the issue.
“We don't want anything disturbing what the county is working on here and potentially damaging anything that's down there,” said Johnson.
The county said it plans on replacing the screws with bolts.
"We've also contacted the sheriff's office,” said Connie Odom, Williamson County spokeswoman. “And asked if they could do more patrols in that area. So that we can ensure that people are not trespassing in that area."
Neighbors KVUE talked to said they don't know who exactly it is.
"Just in general, Texas is not very friendly to trespassers,” said Johnson. “We haven't been for a long time, and I want to discourage anyone who thinks this is a playground that they can come and trespass on this property, that that would be ill-advised."
Kelley said he would want more security at the cave.
"Make this a little harder to break into,” he said. “Anybody could go in with a screwdriver and pull the screws out."
Meanwhile Kelley waits to find out when the cave and its issues will be cleared away.
Williamson County said it plans to release a mitigation plan with the TCEQ (Texas Commission on Environmental Quality) in two weeks. One of the options centers on closing the cave entrance.