Chico (California) Enterprise-Record – Hits and Misses Editorial Column – Jan. 17^th, 2014:

Home burglaries are often a good reminder that residents need to be careful and do the obvious — don't leave doors and windows unlocked.

Chico State University learned the hard way this week that those rules apply to institutions as well as homes.

An unlocked exterior door to the baseball stadium on campus allowed thieves to enter and steal about $10,000 worth of gear — batting gloves, shirts, catching gear, cleats and sweatshirts.

Few people would think of burglarizing a baseball stadium in the offseason, but the open door presented a crime of opportunity.

Corvallis (Oregon) Gazette-Times Police Log - Thursday, Jan. 2nd, 2014:

A woman reported that sometime between mid-October and Jan. 2, someone entered her unlocked, unattended garage at her residence and stole nearly $4000 in fishing poles and gear.

The Northwest Florida Daily News - "Suspect burglarizes home while couple sleeps"  - Jan. 13th, 2014:

Okaloosa County sheriff’s deputies are seeking a suspect in a burglary at a home at 23 Doral Drive early Thursday morning.

A man is seen on a security camera entering the home’s garage at about 2 a.m., according to an offense report.

He then goes into the home through an unlocked door to the living room.

The suspect is described as an about-45-year-old white man. He is approximately 6 feet, 10 inches tall and of medium build with a gray, well-groomed beard.

The Wichita Eagle  - "Woman jumps from balcony to escape attacker" - Jan. 14th, 2014:

A 29-year-old woman was taken to a local hospital for treatment after she jumped from a balcony to escape a man who entered her south Wichita residence and attacked her late Monday afternoon, police said.

The woman told police a stranger came into her house through an unlocked front door and struck her several times before taking her cellphone and a small amount of cash. She was able to get away and jumped off a balcony to get away.

Fort Mill Times – “Missing Fort Mill mom charged with neglect” - Fort Mill, South Carolina – Jan. 10^th, 2014:

A local mother was arrested Friday after she was accused of leaving her three young children home alone for at least a day, according to a York County Sheriff’s Office report.

After an investigation, Heather Sue Ratliff, 44, of 1426 Doe Ridge Lane, Fort Mill, was charged with three counts of Unlawful Neglect Of Child/helpless Person and one charge of Public Disorderly Conduct. A neighbor of Ratliff’s called the sheriff’s office on Jan. 9 after Ratliff’s children went to the neighbor’s house and asked for a ride to school, the report states. The neighbor told a sheriff’s office deputy that he didn’t see any vehicles in Ratliff’s driveway and went over to her house to check but she didn’t appear to be home.

The neighbor gave the children, ages 6, 8 and 10, breakfast and took them to school. Deputies spoke with a guidance counselor at the school who said Ratliff’s children told her they hadn’t seen their mother since about 9 p.m. on Jan. 8. Deputies made a well-being check at Ratliff’s home and entered through an unlocked front door after no one responded to their knocking or calls, according to the report.

It was unclear from the report when or where deputies found Ratliff and why she was charged with disorderly conduct. No other information was available.

www.virginiamn.com - Virginia, Minnesota - Jan. 10^th, 2014:

Police responding to a call about 10 a.m. Dec. 16 were told by the Virginia man calling that when he went for a walk the evening before, he had left his front door unlocked. Upon returning, the man found the door locked, his iphone missing and realized that his home had been burglarized.

fox4kc.com – St. Joseph, Missouri - Jan. 11^th, 2014:

Detectives  in Buchanan County are asking for the public’s help in identifying a man who got inside a woman’s house in a rural area, violated her and committed other crimes.

The 20-year-old woman said during the early morning hours on December 18^th she was sound asleep when the intruder first entered her downstairs bedroom.

The victim believes the brazen intruder got inside her house through an unlocked garage door.