Crrraaackkk….I was startled awake last Sunday at 1:30AM by the distinct sound of dried wood snapping….. After checking for movement outside of our bedroom window, I checked the rest of the doors and windows for damage and found nothing. I started to think it might have been a limb falling in the nearby woods or that maybe I had imagined it. An hour later I was still too amped to fall asleep when I heard a car move slowly down our street. It was the next door neighbor slowly pulling into her driveway…….with 3 police cruisers behind her…….
I’d like to recount the last year and a half before I go on with this story. We’ve had a relatively peaceful life in this neighborhood since 1992. About the only “criminal activity” around here before 2009 was a stolen bike in 2001 and a brief vandalism spree in 2006. Since 2009 EVERY home that borders ours has had a break-in.
In May of 2009, the home immediately to the east of ours had 2 males kick down the front door, at 8:30AM, attempting to find and assault the 14 year old girl inside. She was smart enough to hide with her cellphone and stay hidden until the police arrived. The men that did this were obviously watching the home that morning since they waited for me to leave my workshop, which is about 30 feet from the door that they kicked in.
In September 2009, the home across the street was broken into in the early afternoon. They got in thru a backdoor that faces away from the street and faces a network of trails winding thru an undeveloped woodsy area. This may seem unremarkable but there was a woman going door to door at the same time posing as an employee of a natural gas supplier. It came to me, after the fact, that the she was acting as a lookout and creating a diversion at the same time.
Back to the most recent event………………..The noise that woke us was caused by someone breaking into the home on the west side of ours. No one was home at the time, the neighbor is a nurse and works long and odd hours. She came home and opened the door to find that her house wasn’t the same as she left it so she shut the door, left and came back with the police. The offender got in thru a first floor window by removing an air conditioner, which he replaced after he went inside, probably making the noise that I heard.
I have no idea why our home has not been targeted yet. I’ve done my best to prevent something like this from happening but, other than the motion lights and thorny bushes, my security measures are not visible from the outside of our home.
Our doors have been modified to the point that it would take several minutes and create much noise to get in. The only way to break into our home now is by breaking glass or cutting thru a wall. But the invaders don’t know that so I really do think that it is just a matter of time until it’s our turn.
Justus
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