Police in Houston are looking for a burglary suspect who not only came into the home, but went in and stared at the victims’ sleeping infant. The homeowner, Thrinh Le, originally realized his home had been burglarized when a neighbor found his briefcase and laptop computer in their yard. Checking the home, they found that $60 was also missing from a wallet.
Like many people, Le and his wife had forgotten to set the security system that night, and the burglar was able to get in through an unlocked front window. They had a dog, but had trained him not to bark so as not to wake the baby.
Once Le realized their home had been burglarized, he checked the security camera and realized the burglar had come in and stared at the sleeping toddler before leaving again. According to Lee, the burglar was fairly bold — after seeing the camera and realizing he was being recorded, he said something similar to “I’m here and I don’t care” (home security tapes typically record visual but not sound).
Finding out that the burglar had spent time in their infant sons’ room was troubling. “As soon as I know we got broke into I went upstairs right away and check on him and kiss him so hard,” Le said. “I was so happy to see he’s okay.” It’s likely that this family won’t forget to set their alarm system again anytime soon.
There are a variety of ways homeowners can protect themselves against creepy would-be burglars. The Les were relatively lucky in that most of their possessions were returned to them, and no confrontation occurred. The average family has $2,096 in loss when a burglary occurs, according to the FBI. Alarm systems, dogs, inside-lock windows, and fences can all be useful for keeping homes safe.
“If you’ve got a fear of unwanted guests coming into your home, I absolutely recommend a fence,” says Brett Crouse, Marketing Manager at Long® Fence. “Ornamental iron and aluminum fences at four or five feet would definitely deter someone from entering your properly, as would ornamental drive gates, which can actually be automated.”