Pair of Prowl Burglaries Spark Warning from Police

Two instances of a flashlight-bearing man breaking into one home and trying to break into another this week have spurred the to urge residents to lock their doors and windows.

"The suspect appears to be looking for a crime of opportunity, targeting unlocked residential doors," said a release from the APD. "Please remember to check your home before going to bed. Close and lock your doors and windows, and set your alarm, if you have one installed at your home."

Shortly before 5 a.m. Tuesday morning, a Diamond Street woman home with two teens woke up to find a suspect with a flashlight in her bedroom grabbing her purse from near the foot of her bed. The suspect then fled the bedroom, ran through the house, and out the front door. No injuries were reported, and officers later found the suspect entered the home through an unlocked front door, according to authorities. The suspect was described as a 5-foot-10 white male wearing basketball shorts and a white shirt.

On Wednesday night at roughly 11 p.m., a West Walnut resident heard the sounds of someone attempting to open his front door, then one of the side doors. He then turned on his porch light and saw the suspect, who shined a flashlight in the resident's face and fled. In this instance, the suspect was described as a white male in his 20s, 5-foot-10, 150 pounds and wearing a red shirt. 

Sgt. Tom LeVeque of the APD noted that both crimes occurred in different ends of the city, with one taking place in a condo and the other in a single-family home. 

"We haven't had hot prowl burglaries occur here in a while," he said. "If you look, you'll see that these areas aren't close to one another. The similarities are the timing and the suspect, but just with a basic description."

LeVeque also added that while most people are security conscious and generally remember to secure the doors to their homes and cars, things happen where security is sometimes forgotten. And as he shared, it happens to everyone.

"My wife ... there was a theft with her car because the door was unlocked," he said. "Someone was walking around, checking doors.. We left a bowling ball in there, of all things."