creepy local news

Apparently there have been a couple of late-night home invasions. Granted, those are way on the other side of town (and the fact that there are two so close makes me think it's someone in that particular area). But still, it's creepy.

The commenter over there says that "but maybe the doors were locked, people can get in anyway" but I have known people in rural areas who still don't lock their doors.

I don't know. I lived in Ann Arbor for long enough to get the "always lock your door even if you're going out for a moment, and lock it when you're at home" mentality drummed into me.

I remember late one night, in my apartment there, I heard what sounded like someone trying to jimmy the lock open. Now, I had the regular door lock, the deadbolt, and the chain lock on but I was still scared; I got up and crept to the door and was steeling myself to say in my loudest and deepest voice "HEY YOU. TELL ME WHO YOU ARE AND WHAT YOU ARE DOING OR I CALL THE COPS NOW" but just as I was getting to that point, a voice said, "Oh, S***, this isn't 807!"

Yeah, drunk dudes coming back from the bar, got off the elevator too early. But still, scared the daylights out of me.

Anyway. I even lock my door if I'm going to the backyard to work in the garden for more than a minute or two, on the assumption that bad stuff can happen fast and it just takes that one time.

But I did make doubly sure the door was locked last night - and the screen door. (It's loose, and if you don't pull it perfectly to, it can be opened even if the lock is on). And I have two deadbolts on my big heavy front door: one I have a key for (the one I had put in when I bought the house) and another one that I do not have a key for but can lock when I'm in the house. I normally never lock that second one on the thought of "what if I fell and broke a leg and could get to the phone to call for help but couldn't get to the door?" but last night I decided the likelihood of that was lower even than some goon trying to break in my house, so I locked both of them.

To be honest, if someone's going to steal from me? I'd much, much rather they do it during the day (burgling the house rather than robbing it) when I'm away from home than break in when I **AM** home. Stuff is just stuff and anyway the stuff I really value isn't pawnable, so they'd be unlikely to take it, the stuff they would I can replace. But having someone break in the house while I was in there - creepy.

I hope they catch the guy.