Posted on Thu, Dec 20, 2012 : 9:34 a.m.
Woman scares off would-be intruder at Ann Arbor home
By John Counts
A 31-year-old Ann Arbor woman thwarted an attempted break-in at her home in the 600 block of Watersedge Drive Wednesday night, police said.
The woman woke up around 11:30 p.m. because she felt a draft, said Ann Arbor police Lt. Renee Bush.
"She said she was asleep," Bush said. "She woke up because she was cold."
The woman saw a flashlight on the floor of her bedroom and saw that a sliding glass door was open.
"She yelled, 'Hello!' and (the suspect) left," Bush said.
There are no suspects at this time. Police continue to investigate.
John Counts covers cops and courts for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at johncounts@annarbor.com or you can follow him on Twitter.
Comments
FormerMichRes
Fri, Dec 21, 2012 : 11:24 a.m.
Interesting ... all the tough talking commenters. Shoot first, ask questions later, etc. Most of you folks unfortunately would probably end up having your guns turned on yourselves. Short term advice noted by some ... lock your doors. Long term advice ... start electing more tough on crime, law and order type politicians. Ann Arborites have basically let the criminal element (street people, panhandlers, drifters,etc.) get hold of Ann Arbor. Don't blame it on being a "college" town. The root cause of the problem is a sort of spinelessness of the average A2 voter/resident.
djm12652
Mon, Jan 7, 2013 : 3:44 p.m.
You are pretty close to being correct on this...Ann Arbor is known to be a victim community...easy prey...
Unusual Suspect
Fri, Dec 21, 2012 : 1:31 p.m.
" Most of you folks unfortunately would probably end up having your guns turned on yourselves" This is a myth that's used knowingly by anti-Constitutional liberals as a way to scare people into enacting more gun control.
RunsWithScissors
Fri, Dec 21, 2012 : 1:02 p.m.
I agree with the advice on keeping doors locked. I respectfully disagree with the rest of it. Learning to take care of yourself - locking doors, keeping an eye on the neighborhood, self-defense training, knowing your neighbors - is better than electing a nanny state where all matters are controlled by a government entity. Under a nanny state we may have fewer intruders but we'll also be reluctant to step outside our home because *we* will have fewer freedoms as well.
leezee
Fri, Dec 21, 2012 : 1:15 a.m.
I, too, live at Geddes Lake and we have alarms up the ying-yang and are armed. Many of these condos have doorwalls in the bedrooms that face very secluded space. We use the "clip lock" on our doorwall on mild nights that allows us to leave the door open about 4 inches, but only do that because we have motion alarms also.
bunnyabbot
Thu, Dec 20, 2012 : 5:26 p.m.
The first line of defense of living alone is to have locked doors, assuming this young woman had her doors locked another great line of defense is a dog, I have both locked doors and a large dog. The next line of self defense in your home is a firearm and the somewhat simple understanding of using it and acceptance of using it to protect yourself to the point of possibly shooting someone to dead rather than being physically harmed yourself.
nickcarraweigh
Thu, Dec 20, 2012 : 5:12 p.m.
Was it was zombies or sasquatches that were reported in the neighboring nature area recently? The details escape me. Either way, it's a bad sign they've learned about flashlights.
bruceae
Thu, Dec 20, 2012 : 3:22 p.m.
@gladys: Pepper spray and a hammer? You have to be kidding me. This unit is in Geddes Lake and I also live in Geddes Lake. When I wake up and see someone with a flashlight in my condo I will be quietly sliding open the drawer on the night stand, pulling out my Glock taking care of the burgler. Kind of makes it an easy shot when they are carrying a flash light.
Unusual Suspect
Fri, Dec 21, 2012 : 1:30 p.m.
"I assume you live alone and understand the dangers of not locking up your guns." If his gun is in his house and his house is locked, then the gun IS locked up.
zip the cat
Fri, Dec 21, 2012 : 12:27 p.m.
Better read the law (justcurious) Michigan house bill # 5143,google it,stand your ground Clearly states that you can use what ever force up to and including killing them to defend your property and your life from someone in your house thats not supposed to be there
Zultan Smith
Fri, Dec 21, 2012 : 4:52 a.m.
It is that cut and dry! An unidentified person in your home in the middle of the night. Shoot first ask questions later. As long as the law breaker is in your home, (and I mean all the way in) you are well within your rights to shoot them. I tell you this, SHOOT TO KILL not to injure. As long as you feel your life was threatened. That doesn't even mean the intruder has to have a weapon. THEY DO NOT BELONG IN YOUR HOME! You will get detained until the scene is secure and the authorities determine it to be self defense. A locked up unloaded gun serves no purpose. My carry gun sleeps on my night stand every night with one in the chamber. Doesn't do me or my family any good if it's out of reach..
justcurious
Thu, Dec 20, 2012 : 8:01 p.m.
And after you"take care" of the burglar, the justice system might just "take care" of you for a long time. It isn't as cut and dried as people think.
bruceae
Thu, Dec 20, 2012 : 5:25 p.m.
Yes, I live alone and since the police can't seem to catch or maybe the judges won't lock up these criminals I understand the danger of not having my guns loaded and available.
smokeblwr
Thu, Dec 20, 2012 : 4:48 p.m.
I assume you live alone and understand the dangers of not locking up your guns.
JRW
Thu, Dec 20, 2012 : 2:54 p.m.
LOCK LOCK LOCK up! Can't stress it enough! Why would someone not lock a ground level sliding door? Scary.
Just Be Nice
Fri, Dec 21, 2012 : 1:07 p.m.
Where in the article does it state that the door was unlocked?
gladys
Thu, Dec 20, 2012 : 2:50 p.m.
Lock the door and put a stick in the track! And keep some pepper spray and hammer nearby.