Monday, April 20, 2009

Homeowner Confronts Burglar

   A Leoma resident who summoned law enforcement officials to investigate a possible burglary at his home Friday entered only to find himself face-to-face with the burglar.

   The resident reported to Lawrence County Sheriff’s Deputies that he had been visiting at his parents home nearby when he looked toward his own home. He discovered that someone had opened a window on the west side of the residence.

   The victim reported that he quickly placed a call to summon law enforcement officials, then walked back to his house. When approaching, he said someone inside pulled down the window shade on the open window.

   The resident entered his home to find that a thirty-nine-year-old male neighbor was inside his house. When he asked the man what he was doing inside his home, the intruder told the victim that “his front door was open” and he was “checking his mail for him.” The intruder then abruptly turned and fled from the premises, running into a nearby wooded area.

   Authorities found that the intruder had apparently made an attempt to pry open the back door with a flat bar. Also, damages were found to the window the resident had noticed was open. Reports show that the window ledge had been damaged and that the intruder had apparently attempted to repair it using mud.

   Deputies had been unable to locate the suspect at the time reports were filed. They did inform the victim regarding the procedure for obtaining a criminal summons against his neighbor.