by Carolyn Seitz
Here's another experience being shared, not of a break-in, but very likely another of the many excuses being used by criminals to gain entry into your home. The incident below was shared by the Braewatch Group:
Neighbors - minutes ago a man appeared at the back door of a home at Tanoble and Mendocino. When confronted he claimed that he lived on Homewood and that his mother "Judy" directed him to practice public speaking at local homes. The then left the property. The resident called the sheriff.
The intruder's excuse is a variation on a story commonly used by burglars when encountering residents in the process of approaching a home to break in. They will knock, then immediately enter if there is no answer.
I do not yet have a description or any other information. Please keep an eye out for suspicious people, and immediately contact the Sheriff at 626 798 1131 in the event that anyone enters your property, most especially the side or rear areas of your home.
The Sheriff's Department is still certain that many of these burglaries are being committed by gang members. It would be good to note that not all gang members wear clothing representative of their particular gang affiliation, or baggy clothing and have multiple visible tattoos. Many are college educated and have learned to dress very conservatively.
That might be near your neighborhood, but because behavior by criminals looking to gain access to your home or to determine whether there is anyone at home, or who may be looking to "case" your house to figure how much of your "stuff" they'd like to have, are repeated across Altadena.
Often one day it will be a male seemingly working alone (because you won't notice the person who is on the side of your home headed for the easiest way to make entry), and the next day it will be one or two females working your neighborhood.
Please don't take the chance that one person knocking on your door may have noble intent. Let the deputies figure out whether they have a noble reason or not. It's one of the few ways we can be less a soft target.
Help us be less vulnerable to crime by quickly calling the Sheriff's Department at 626 798 1131. It is making a difference.
