The Sharon (Pennsylvania) Herald – Men accused of targeting Amish home for burglary – Feb. 16^th, 2014:

Two men, including a former Amish man, have been charged with burglary for preying on an Amish homestead and stealing a number of firearms.

Emanuel S. Schwartz, 22, and Wendell J. Horst, 18, both of 1961 N. Perry Highway, Fairview Township, each have been charged with burglary, theft, receiving stolen property and criminal trespass.

The Amish victim who lives in the 1500 block of Airport Road, Fairview Township, reported Dec. 15 that a .270-caliber rifle, a muzzleloader, three other rifles, two shotguns and three pair of rubber boots were stolen from his home, state police said.

Schwartz said he and Horst entered an unlocked door and stole a muzzleloader, a .270 and other guns, police said.

Kansas City (Missouri) Star Magazine – “Why I love living in small-town America” by Cindy Hoedel – February 15^th, 2014:

At Strong City Grocery Store, the teenage clerks start carrying sacks of groceries out to my car before the cashier is even done ringing them up. The first time, the girl returned with a puzzled look to tell me my car was locked — a city-slicker mistake. It took several times of trying to tip the kids who loaded the sacks into my car to learn that they would not take the money. They were polite but firm in turning it down. “We do that for everyone,” one girl said. Another time a young man said, “Thanks, but I don’t need that.”

Unlike in Kansas City, I know the UPS guy in my town by name. We have an agreement that if I’m expecting a package and not home, I leave the kitchen door unlocked and he puts my stuff inside.



There are also a few teens in town who happily and competently do odd jobs. When word got out that I needed eight large, deep holes dug for planting fruit trees, a 15-year-old from down the street came driving up in his pickup truck with a rifle on the front seat, asked me to show him where I wanted the holes, and set to digging. He was done two hours later and asked for $14, but I gave him more.

But of all the great old-fashioned service experiences I’ve encountered in my corner of rural Kansas, my favorite is a couple in their late 80s and early 90s who still farm and keep a refrigerator full of fresh eggs in their unlocked detached garage. You drive out to their farm just past the cemetery on the outskirts of town, let yourself into the garage, take your cartons of eggs and drop the money ($1.50 per dozen) in a rusty coffee can. They reuse egg cartons that customers bring back, so it’s a zero-waste operation as well as the best orange-yolked farm eggs around.

Inland Valley (California) Daily Bulletin – “Man pleads guilty to sexually assulating woman in Ontario home” – February 14^th, 2014:

A man who armed himself with a replica gun and sexually assaulted a woman inside her Ontario home in 2012 is scheduled to be sentenced in March.

Earlier this month, Daniel Anthony Aguirre, 21, accepted a plea bargain and pleaded guilty to sodomy by force and rape by force or fear, according to court records.

Aguirre previously pleaded not guilty to those charges, as well as assault during the commission of a burglary, burglary, threatening a victim, and attempted burglary, according to court records. The remaining charges will be dismissed at time of sentencing.

Officers responded to the 200 block of North Vine Avenue in Ontario following a report of trouble at the residence.

They discovered a man, later identified as Aguirre, got into the home through an unlocked door and confronted a 41-year-old woman. Police say he pointed a realistic-looking handgun at the woman then attacked her.

PLEASE NOTE: I have reproduced the article as written, with the word "assaulting" spelled incorrectly in the headline.

Corvallis (Oregon) Gazette-Times Police Log - Thursday, February 13th, 2013:

Police arrested a 24-year-old Oregon State University student, Skylar Lorange Keith, for allegedly entering an unlocked apartment, knocking over lamps, breaking the glass window to the resident's microwave by punching it, and getting blood on the floor, walls, counters, sofa, kitchen table, chairs and door. Medics transported Keith to the hospital and police cited him at the hospital on charges of first-degree criminal trespassing and second-degree criminal mischief.

Orlando (Florida) Sentinel – “Naked attacker arrested after bizarre incident in suburban Lake Worth” – Feb. 9^th, 2014:

In a melee that lasted at least 10 minutes, a squad of deputies used batons, a police dog, a stun gun and all their might to subdue a male they said walked into a neighbor's house on Saturday and stripped off his clothes before attacking a teenager.

The incident marks the second time in less than a week that Palm Beach Sheriff's Office deputies have confronted a naked person who seemed to be on a violent rampage while displaying unusual physical strength.

The latest outbreak of violence began about 6 p.m. Saturday when police said they responded to reports of a burglary in the 9200 block of Bracelet Drive in unincorporated Lake Worth. A 15-year-old boy told two arriving officers that he was feeding the dogs at his aunt's house when Hopper walked through the unlocked front door.

Hopper touched the teen's face, the teen told deputies, and tried to remove the teen's glasses. Hopper then took all his clothes off while shouting nonsense, deputies said.

Jason Valentine, 35, the brother of the homeowner, said the teenager fled into the backyard, where he used a trampoline to elude Hopper by jumping over a fence and running for home a block away.

An arriving deputy said he could see Hopper "walking around completely naked inside of the residence in a menacing manner."

"He was breaking random things inside the house and still shouting nonsensical things such as, '5,6,7,8, grandma, girlfriend,1,2,3,4,'" the deputy wrote. "Conrad was moving erratically around the kitchen with clinched fists and pacing aimlessly."

When he came out the back door, armed with the clock, Hopper took a defensive stance, deputies said. Hopper refused to obey orders, so a deputy released the dog.

"Conrad immediately began to punch the dog's head with closed fists and attempted to gouge out the dog's eyes," deputies wrote.

Two more officers arrived. Hopper was hit with a baton and officers triggered a dart-firing stun gun, which knocked Hopper down, they said.

He was finally fitted with steel cuffs, but it "did not change Conrad's temperament as he continued to kick at deputies and thrash around violently," deputies reported.

"At one point Conrad was able to free himself from one of the handcuffs and continued to punch and thrash around," deputies said.

Officers put Hopper in a hobble leg restraint, but even then he got one hand free and "continued to punch and thrash around," the report stated.

Greenwich (Connecticut) Daily Voice - Police: Greenwich Robbers Who Tied Up Woman Entered Unlocked House – Jan. 31^st, 2014:

Two masked burglars who assaulted a 60-year-old woman and tied her up were able to gain entry into the Greenwich house because the front door was unlocked, according to police.

The woman was surprised by the two assailants, who were described as white and in their 20s or 30s and wearing dark clothing. They also threatened her with a gun in the home invasion on East Elm Street, police said.

The robbers demanded money from the woman and punched her in the face when she refused to cooperate.

Quincy (Illinois) Journal - Quincy Police Blotter for February 1, 2014:

Vehicle theft: April Sullivan of 812 N. 14th reports her green 01 Pontiac Grand Am stolen from her residence sometime between 1900 on 01-26 and 0847 on 01-27.  Vehicle was unlocked and keys in ignition.