Only On 2: Family's Home Ransacked While Under Renovation
MAR VISTA (CBSLA.com) — With seven break-ins in their neighborhood over the past month, the owners of homes undergoing renovation may be leaving themselves vulnerable to crooks who see a construction site as a welcome mat for crime.
CBS2's Jeff Nguyen spoke Friday to a woman whose home was ransacked earlier this week, and also offered an important tip that can help protect your home if it left unattended for a significant period of time.
The homeowner, who asked to go by the name Emily, said she, her husband and their two small children have been staying with relatives while work is being done to their home.
On Thursday morning, her husband stopped by to open the door for the painters and found the house had been ransacked.
"I think the person that was here was looking for easy things they could sell right away," said Emily, calling it "a crime of opportunity."
In retrospect, she said, the large PODS storage container parked in from of the home may have called attention to the work.
"I kinda felt like the house screamed no one's here," Emily said. "I think that's probably something in retrospect we shouldn't have done."
LAPD records show there have been seven burglary cases at construction projects in Mar Vista during the past month.
Pacific Division Lt. Aaron Ponce said if someone is going to be away from a home, they can ask for an extra patrol.
"It gives us an awareness, especially if it's a long-term project to be on the look out for anything suspicious," Ponce said.
Back at Emily's house, the crook ran off with tools that belonged to the contractor and some of the family's personal belongings. Emily said the worst thing about the burglary was the feeling of personal intrusion.
"You know, seeing photos of me when I was pregnant strewn all over the floor and knowing they took the time to view those very personal photos was really upsetting to me," she said.
