December 28, 2006

Almaden family unwittingly thwarts burglary attempt

By Julie Davis Berry
Executive Editor

A woman and her two children were upstairs in their Mt. Forest Drive home the morning of December 22 preparing for holiday guests when they heard a loud bang downstairs.

The mother went downstairs to find the door to her kitchen from her garage wide open. Running to the window she saw two men, who she described as Hispanic, jumping into a silver compact car and drive off.

“The sound of me talking to my children must have scared them off,” she said. The woman reported hearing loud knocking on her door but assumed that it was a UPS delivery and the driver would just leave a package on her doorstep. “They must have been checking to see if anyone was home and I was busy and didn’t answer the door,” she said.

The woman, who requested anonymity, said that the police officer that came to take the report suggested that the break-in might have been the work of day laborers that have been working remodeling homes on the street.

Lt. Ken Tanaka, who works in the burglary division, said that the police were investigating a similar case across town where a couple of juveniles had been caught knocking on doors to see if people were home before breaking in a side door. The juveniles were being interrogated on Wednesday.

“It is particularly important to lock your doors and windows during the holiday season,” said Lt. Tanaka. “There are more property crimes at this time of year because thieves are looking for expensive gifts which can be carried out of homes easily.”

Lt. Tanaka also suggested that homeowners keep an eye out for elderly neighbors and also for unusual cars in the neighborhood. “Call 911 and we’ll check out people you are unfamiliar with in your neighborhood,” he said. “If they are there for a legitimate reason they shouldn’t mind being contacted by the police.”