Marlborough Mesa

I want all of my neighbors to know that on August 20th, Tuesday about 4:00 p.m. in the afternoon a man starting knocking on my front door.  I was not home but my teenage granddaughter was.  He had opened the unlocked security door (which is usually locked) and was knocking on the wood front door.  My granddaughter looked out the peep hole and saw that the guy kept looking out toward the street to see if anyone was around.  She went to the kitchen to get a knife and went back to the front door.  He was gone...or so she thought.  She started to walk back to the kitchen and there he was looking in the kitchen window.  She called 911 immediately and the police were there in 10 minutes. I keep my back gate locked so he must have jumped the 6 1/2 foot block wall.  Of course by then he was gone.  She described the guy as tall, very thin and wearing a plaid shirt.  There did not appear to be a car in the near vicinity so he either walked, ran or rode a bicycle away.  The police searched the neighborhood (2900 block of S. Spruce St.) and found nothing.  I am wondering if he might live in the neighborhood.  I am now looking for a home security monitoring system.  I am shocked at the time of day he tried to break in my house as people were coming home from work and kids home from school.  So neighbors PLEASE beware and report any suspicious activity!

I'm glad your granddaughter is ok.

Was the perp black, white, or hispanic?  Is a dog and/or a gun an option for you?

The young guy was wearing a baseball cap but she thinks that he was white.  We have a dog but she is a rescue Collie and her vocal cords were severed so that she cannot bark.  When I had my German Shepard no one dared to come in.  I may have to look into rescuing another dog but one that can bark.  It is either that or a home monitoring system.

I have a gun up in a closet but have never been trained to use it.  I don't know if that would really be an option for us. 

Thank you for the suggestions.

I'll just throw this out there:  if you and yours are willing to put in the time to learn, I'd be happy to teach you the proper use and safety of your firearm.  I have over 20 years experience, and it may be your best option, at least until you get your dog/alarm system situation settled.

Firearms proficiency is a good skill - better to have it and not need to use it than need it and not have it in your time of need.  Especially when you DO have a firearm in the house.

I don't mean to sound 'preachy', but it is something I feel strongly about and I'm just trying to help.  I know how horrible it feels to have your property or safety 'violated'.