Having people come into your home uninvited, having their way with your belongings and turning the place upside down will leave an overwhelming feeling of violation. That safe space, your own home, doesn’t feel as secure as it may have.
A Facebook user in the group Concealed Carry recently shared his story, along with some photos, about a very recent home invasion that occurred while he and his wife were at work.
Their home was torn up. The photo below shows that the intruders left nothing unturned. They weren’t playing around, and have probably done this before.
I spoke with Brandon to get a little more information about the incident so that I could fill in a few gaps. I always have many questions when something like this happens, just to see what people have in place and where they live.
I asked Brandon how close his neighbors were. Closest neighbors are half a mile away. I asked about crime in the area, and he told me that it’s a very rare occurrence where they live.
We discussed the safe, in which all but two of his firearms were stored. They were all taken, except for the gun that he was carrying. He noted that he had all of his firearm serial numbers written down, which is always recommended. This way, if they happen to show up at a pawn shop or are confiscated during an arrest, police will be able to get them back to their rightful place.
I asked if the safe was in place primarily to keep the firearms out of the reach of children, and he said that was the case. He also mentioned that he had no idea it was so easy for someone to break into the safe that he had, which was accomplished with a crowbar and probably opened within just a few seconds.
The crowbar used was actually owned by Brandon, and it doesn’t seem that the intruders had one of their own.
In the photo below, notice the locking bar on the top right. It’s bent from the force of prying the door opened, and that’s all it took to gain access.
When covering their tracks, the spray painted the front door in an apparent attempt to conceal any fingerprints that they may have left behind. It’s the only logical thing that I can think of.
I also asked if they had any type of surveillance cameras set up or any alarm on the house. Both questions were given the answer of no.
Living there for eight years, Brandon said that they’ve never had any problems and have never heard of a home break-in in their area. It’s an incident that reminds us of how anyone can be a target, even if it’s the last place you’d expect it to happen.
I received an update from Brandon today, and it’s all positive news. An alert neighbor noted seeing a truck leaving their driveway around 11 am on the morning of the incident. That neighbor was able to give police a description of the truck and it’s occupants, ultimately finding a woman living at a home a few miles away. That woman was wearing some of Brandon’s wife’s jewelry and was arrested. The man who was apparently involved is still being sought by police, and he is apparently a career criminal who was just released from prison a few months ago.
Hopefully Brandon and his family will get something that will monitor their home, giving them piece of mind when they aren’t around. It’s an unsure world that we live in, but if I had to guess, I’d assume these intruders were lucky to break into the house when Brandon wasn’t home.
