www.kvue.com (Austin, Texas) – “Police: Man broke into apartment, left bleach-soaked rags” – January 5^th, 2015:

 

SAN MARCOS, Texas -- Police have arrested and charged a 19-year-old man accused of breaking into a woman's apartment, stealing a nightgown and leaving bleach-soaked rags and a knife in her bedroom.

 

According to San Marcos police, a woman living at the Vistas Apartments, a private student apartment complex near Texas State University, woke up on Nov. 14 to find Cruzeto Rodriguez standing at the foot of her bed. When she asked what he was doing, he said, "You caught me," and ran away. The woman found bleach-soaked rags across her apartment and a Swiss Army knife laid on her bedside table, with the blade pointed toward her head. The woman was not injured.

 

San Marcos Police Commander Kelly Earnest said the victim had left her apartment door unlocked.

 

"If nothing else comes out, please lock your doors. If someone is going through the apartment complex checking doors, make sure they don't find yours unlocked because something like this could happen to you," Earnest said.

www.kfor.com (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma) – “Crime on the rise as temperatures drop; Police warn about ‘puffing’ thefts” – January 2^nd, 2015:

OKLAHOMA CITY – As winter temperatures continue to hit the state, police are warning residents about a crime that is on the rise. Authorities say thieves are taking advantage of the winter weather right now, targeting motorists who leave their cars running to warm up.

On Friday morning, a couple of drivers learned that lesson the hard way.

Police tell us they responded to at least three running car thefts near N.W. 10th St. and Council Rd. on Friday morning.These thefts are the result of drivers leaving the driver’s door unlocked and the keys in the ignition.

There’s a name thieves use for this crime; it’s called puffing. They’ll drive up and down streets, looking for exhaust coming from the muffler of a car.

One minute Butch Chrisley’s car was there, the next it was gone. His wife left their car running and unattended. “They were real quiet about it,” he said. “They didn’t slam the door. I didn’t even hear it take off.”

About a mile away, Juan Vargas’ car is also missing. “Man, I don’t know [who did it],” he said. “It’s been happening lately.”

Officers say you should never walk away from your car with the key still in the ignition.

Butch says the New Year was supposed to be a fresh start for his family.

“We were robbed four times and then the tornado in El Reno wiped us out,” Butch said. “We haven’t given up yet. We’re still fighting.”

If you have any information on these thefts, call police.

 

San Jose (California) Mercury News – “Milpitas crime summaries for the Jan. 2 edition” – January 2^nd, 2015:

$6,100 STOLEN FROM HILLSIDE HOME

On Dec. 20 at about 11:20 p.m., police responded to a residential burglary on the 600 block of Quince Lane.

That evening, someone gained entry into the home via an unlocked side door. Inside, they stole $6,000 cash and $100 in rolled quarters, police said.

No other loss was reported. No suspects are known in this case, police said.

dailymail.co.uk – “Bungling addicts called 911 after they'd been 'trapped' in a closet for DAYS - only for cops to arrive and open the unlocked door” – January 1^st, 2015:

A Florida couple who were high on drugs spent two days believing they were trapped in a janitors closet and eventually called 911 for help, only to be told by police they could have just opened the door themselves.

 

 

Amber Campbell, 25, and John Arwood, 31, were freed - and then arrested.

 

The strange incident occurred at the Marine and Environmental Science Center at Daytona State College on Tuesday.

 

Inside the closet, police said they found feces and copper scouring pads used to smoke meth and crack cocaine, according to The Orlando Sentinel. Police said they smelled meth in the closet. 

 

Campbell and Arwood claim to have been chased into the closet on Sunday.

 

It is not known what they were doing at the facility. The campus was closed for the holidays. It is also not clear why the pair waited until Tuesday to seek help.

 

However Arwood called 911 and told police they were trapped.

 

Police used his cell phone to trace the location and arrived to let the two out.

 

But an officer, trying to understand what had happened, went into the closet and shut the door.

 

The door did not lock.

Weatherford (Texas) Democrat – “Beer-drinking college students arrested for 'exploring' FAA tower” – December 30^th, 2014:

Four young men who police say broke into a building in Snyder County, Pennsylvania early Sunday morning to share a few beers set off alarms all the way in Georgia. 

That's because the building happened to be a Federal Aviation Administration air traffic navigation tower. 

The unlawful entry through what the four college students, one of whom is a West Point cadet, said was an unlocked door triggered an intruder alarm that shut down a crucial aviation aid that allows pilots to follow an assigned flight path.

Though authorities believe the four weren’t trying to disrupt air traffic, an alert of the disruption was received at the FAA's regional office in Atlanta, which notified Pennsylvania state police. 

When troopers arrived, they found the four men, all of them younger than 21, walking away from the tower carrying open containers of beer. So along with felony causing a catastrophe, burglary, criminal mischief, criminal trespassing, the foursome also faces underage drinking charges. 

Though FAA spokesman Jim Peters confirmed that “The entrants did not damage the building or equipment and did not pose a safety risk to any aircraft," they also may face federal charges. 

The Daily Journal (Park Hills, Missouri) Online - "Burglars question homeowner when caught in act" - December 28th, 2014:

 

Crystal City Police caught a brazen burglar and his sidekick on Dec. 16 after the would-be robber challenged the homeowner as to who really owned the home.

It took place in the 2400 block of Hwy. 61-67 just after noon when the homeowner entered the home and found an apparent burglary in progress.

According to authorities, when the owner entered the residence they were confronted by a male subject who actually asked the homeowner what he was doing in the house. The homeowner told him he was the owner and the subject said they would see about that.

The homeowner ran out and called police and when officers responded they saw two men fleeing on foot. They captured both men after a short foot chase.

The suspects, a 46-year Cedar Hill man and a 53-year-old Arnold man, were arrested on suspicion of first-degree burglary, a Class B felony, and misdemeanor charges of trespassing. They were released pending application of warrants.

Authorities reported that there were no injuries and nothing appeared to have been taken. The men entered the house through an unlocked rear door.

www.thedenverchannel.com – “Brazen burglars are hitting Stapleton homes while people sleep; police urge residents to lock up” – September 26^th, 2014:

DENVER - Denver police are warning residents in the Stapleton neighborhood to lock their doors and windows after a string of brazen burglaries where crooks looted homes while people slept.

The burglaries occurred from Sunday into Friday. Police said the targeted area roughly stretches from East 21st Avenue to East 29th Avenue and Syracuse Street to Xenia Street.

"She was actually sleeping on the couch when the person came in the house," burglary victim Jeremy Willius said of his wife.

What did the Willius' household loose? "Three phones, two purses, two sets of keys and our Honda Odyssey," Willius told 7NEWS reported Molly Hendrickson.

"I wish I had kept my windows closed," he added.

Police are urging residents to lock up.

All have involved the owners being present within the homes while burglaries were occurring," the Denver Police District 5 Facebook page says. "These incidents also involved several unlocked front and sliding glass doors to the residences."

"That's scary because burglars are supposed to come when you're not home," said Mike Bibbo, another Stapleton resident. "I used to walk my dog and not really think about locking my door."