Burgled

I arrived at my MIL’s this morning and saw that the light was on in my FIL’s study. Odd, I thought. Then I noticed that some of the cupboards in the car port were open, and the ‘gate’ to the backyard had its hasp undone. While I am always willing to admit leaving things not the way I intended, I certainly didn’t leave things like this. It was when I approached the door to the house in the carport and saw the old-school screen (wood-framed) broken and on the floor, that I knew there was a big problem. I went around to the front door and through the windows saw that a few things had been moved and lots of lights were on that I texted my DH, and then called 911.

Three cruisers and five officers arrived in short order. They were kind, professional, and concerned.

After clearing the house, with guns drawn, they invited me back from sitting under a rhododendron at the neighbors, to see what might be missing. It was interesting:

• 15-20 pairs of drug store glasses.
• Three pairs of cheap pocket binoculars.
• Three small multi-tools.
• Two antique digital cameras, but not the 35 mil point & shoot camera.

Then there where things that were moved:

• A hat box.
• A purse.
• An old HDTV moved from a shelf in the dining room and left by the carport door. The PD took fingerprints from it’s frame.
• A toolbox on the patio was opened with its tray taken out. Contents (weed whacker stuff) were all left.
• A very large (3”) volume of our state’s streams and their salmon population was removed from a bottom built-in bookshelf and placed on top of books on the shelf above.

I spent a lot of time using disinfectant wipes on all the light switches, door knobs, and cabinet/drawer pulls. Toilets too. I’m going to replace the picnic plates/cup/cutlery supplies we keep there for our use on my way down tomorrow… Just ew.

One of the officers shared that this looked more like a break-in where someone wanted a place to crash, rather than steal. He said when people are intend on robbery, they ransack. To me if felt like someone was a looking for something very specific. Further, it’s not lost on me that the majority of the things that are missing are related to vision: Glasses, Binoculars, Cameras…

While this is in no way our fault, we do feel responsible at a certain level because we weren’t using the alarm system. We are now. My MIL hadn’t used it in forever. The community the house is in is quite affluent. We’ve had things in the carport for months and they’ve remained there… No one has pilfered them. These items are the ‘free pile,’ but still.

I return tomorrow with what I need to hang rudimentary curtains, and carry on with the sale prep.

In more positive news, the house was measured for carpet today, and my friend, and former drummer, came by with an employee to take stoke of all the things I am not going to do after the sale… Despite today’s set back, things moved forward.