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edenfallingTonight my apartment was burglarized.
...
I was at my computer with the lamp turned low (so as not to attract bugs into the house) and all other lights in my apartment turned off (same reason). It was about 3:15-3:20am. I heard a noise somewhere behind me, but I thought it must be coming from upstairs since I was, of course, alone in my apartment.
A couple minutes later, I heard another noise. And you know, it really sounded like a person moving around, maybe knocking something over on a counter, but that was silly, right? Because I was alone. So I thought maybe it was a mouse or a bat that had somehow gotten into the kitchen.
I walked through my living room into the kitchen. Maybe I went into the bathroom. Maybe I didn't. I honestly can't remember; the exact actions were overwritten by what happened immediately thereafter. In any case, I turned on the kitchen light and looked around for maybe fifteen seconds. No small animals were apparent, so I turned to go back to the computer.
As I walked into the living room, I saw a strange man standing right in front of my bedroom door. He was a bit taller than I am -- maybe 5'9" -- with short dark hair and no obvious facial hair. He was wearing a light colored shirt. I have no idea what he was wearing on his legs. Presumably he was wearing something, as one doesn't go burgling houses in boxers alone, but I could not for the life of me tell you if he had on jeans or trousers or shorts, nor what he had on his feet. The light was bad and I only saw him for about three seconds, so I would not be able to recognize his face again. Also, I cannot be sure what race he was -- he could have been white with a tan, Hispanic, or light-skinned black. I just don't know.
I stood there in my nightshirt and said, "Oh my god, what are you doing in my apartment?"
He turned and ran into my bedroom.
I followed, but the space between my couch and the coffee table is narrow, so by the time I got into the bedroom, he was out the window and gone. I saw first that the Venetian blind was all crumpled and torn. Then I saw that the screen in the window was gone. (Not broken. Just gone.) Then I turned on the lamp and realized that the intruder had opened the top two drawers of my dresser, and that two drawers of my small jewelry box were lying out on top of the dresser. One jewelry drawer -- the one that held my collection of useless European coins -- was empty.
Also, he had been going through my underwear.
I called the police. (Not 911 -- I have a cell phone, so that's not useful, and also I didn't think this was that kind of emergency. But I have the Ithaca police non-emergency number in my contact list, because I'm on the call list for the company that monitors the alarm system at the smoke shop, so if something goes wrong there, I'm supposed to notify the police. This was not the use I ever expected to make of that number, but I'm glad I didn't have to waste time looking it up.)
As I was on the phone, I noticed that some jewelry was missing from my nightstand: namely, the silver hoop earrings I wear almost daily, a pair of gold filigree earrings I inherited from Ardis, and the two rings I wear daily, which I'd had off because of the heat. One is a silver ring with a light blue stone that I got from Aunt Cara. The other is a loop of intertwined silver and gold that Ryan made for me in high school. They're not very objectively valuable, but there's a LOT of sentimental value there.
A cop came to look around and take my statement, and two or three other cars followed in short order. As I showed the first officer around the bedroom, I realized that the burglar had taken even more jewelry -- the necklaces that I kept in a pie dish on the nightstand because they wouldn't fit in the jewelry boxes. That means two gold chains, a gold bolero-style necklace, a locket-style watch on a gold chain (which cost $120 dollars when my parents bought it for me ages and ages ago), three cheap anklets (one silver, two gold), and a matching necklace and bracelet set made of faux-braided silver, one inch wide, that I inherited from Ardis. Possibly there was something else as well that I am forgetting, since I don't wear jewelry often (besides earrings and my rings) and thus don't keep close track of exactly what I own.
The police looked around the area outside my bedroom window, which is basically the driveway that I don't use and which my upstairs neighbors R & A park their station wagon in. I waited on the front steps and found myself shivering despite the godawful heat. Delayed adrenaline rush or something, I guess. Also a sense of utter violation. Anyway, the cops found the screen yards and yards away, under a tree in the back yard. They also found a black baseball cap, which is too big to belong to the kids of my other upstairs neighbors. (So far as I know, the screen is still lying there. I will probably go pick it up later today.)
Then I had to get dressed and get a ride in a police SUV down to the station to give my statement. That was interesting. First I was in a room that did not have a witness chair -- just a hard wood bench with three steel rings set into the concrete wall, presumably for chaining suspects. But that computer wasn't working, so the officer and I went into the next room, which had a proper chair. Anyway, I talked, he typed and occasionally asked questions, and then I got to look the document over and make some edits. He then printed out a copy for me to sign, which makes it all official.
And now I am home again and sleep is pretty much out of the question for the near future.
I just.
Those rings are things I wear every day. One of them was made specifically for me. Those necklaces were from Ardis. Taking them is like taking pieces of me.
And he was pawing through my underwear.
...
Fall Creek is usually a very safe and quiet neighborhood, which is why I was never really worried about living in a ground floor apartment. I am worried now. My first reaction, when I saw the open window, was not to think about fingerprints and evidence, but to raise the blind and pull the window down and lock it. It's still down. It's still locked.
I am not sure when I will feel able to unlock it again.
...
I was at my computer with the lamp turned low (so as not to attract bugs into the house) and all other lights in my apartment turned off (same reason). It was about 3:15-3:20am. I heard a noise somewhere behind me, but I thought it must be coming from upstairs since I was, of course, alone in my apartment.
A couple minutes later, I heard another noise. And you know, it really sounded like a person moving around, maybe knocking something over on a counter, but that was silly, right? Because I was alone. So I thought maybe it was a mouse or a bat that had somehow gotten into the kitchen.
I walked through my living room into the kitchen. Maybe I went into the bathroom. Maybe I didn't. I honestly can't remember; the exact actions were overwritten by what happened immediately thereafter. In any case, I turned on the kitchen light and looked around for maybe fifteen seconds. No small animals were apparent, so I turned to go back to the computer.
As I walked into the living room, I saw a strange man standing right in front of my bedroom door. He was a bit taller than I am -- maybe 5'9" -- with short dark hair and no obvious facial hair. He was wearing a light colored shirt. I have no idea what he was wearing on his legs. Presumably he was wearing something, as one doesn't go burgling houses in boxers alone, but I could not for the life of me tell you if he had on jeans or trousers or shorts, nor what he had on his feet. The light was bad and I only saw him for about three seconds, so I would not be able to recognize his face again. Also, I cannot be sure what race he was -- he could have been white with a tan, Hispanic, or light-skinned black. I just don't know.
I stood there in my nightshirt and said, "Oh my god, what are you doing in my apartment?"
He turned and ran into my bedroom.
I followed, but the space between my couch and the coffee table is narrow, so by the time I got into the bedroom, he was out the window and gone. I saw first that the Venetian blind was all crumpled and torn. Then I saw that the screen in the window was gone. (Not broken. Just gone.) Then I turned on the lamp and realized that the intruder had opened the top two drawers of my dresser, and that two drawers of my small jewelry box were lying out on top of the dresser. One jewelry drawer -- the one that held my collection of useless European coins -- was empty.
Also, he had been going through my underwear.
I called the police. (Not 911 -- I have a cell phone, so that's not useful, and also I didn't think this was that kind of emergency. But I have the Ithaca police non-emergency number in my contact list, because I'm on the call list for the company that monitors the alarm system at the smoke shop, so if something goes wrong there, I'm supposed to notify the police. This was not the use I ever expected to make of that number, but I'm glad I didn't have to waste time looking it up.)
As I was on the phone, I noticed that some jewelry was missing from my nightstand: namely, the silver hoop earrings I wear almost daily, a pair of gold filigree earrings I inherited from Ardis, and the two rings I wear daily, which I'd had off because of the heat. One is a silver ring with a light blue stone that I got from Aunt Cara. The other is a loop of intertwined silver and gold that Ryan made for me in high school. They're not very objectively valuable, but there's a LOT of sentimental value there.
A cop came to look around and take my statement, and two or three other cars followed in short order. As I showed the first officer around the bedroom, I realized that the burglar had taken even more jewelry -- the necklaces that I kept in a pie dish on the nightstand because they wouldn't fit in the jewelry boxes. That means two gold chains, a gold bolero-style necklace, a locket-style watch on a gold chain (which cost $120 dollars when my parents bought it for me ages and ages ago), three cheap anklets (one silver, two gold), and a matching necklace and bracelet set made of faux-braided silver, one inch wide, that I inherited from Ardis. Possibly there was something else as well that I am forgetting, since I don't wear jewelry often (besides earrings and my rings) and thus don't keep close track of exactly what I own.
The police looked around the area outside my bedroom window, which is basically the driveway that I don't use and which my upstairs neighbors R & A park their station wagon in. I waited on the front steps and found myself shivering despite the godawful heat. Delayed adrenaline rush or something, I guess. Also a sense of utter violation. Anyway, the cops found the screen yards and yards away, under a tree in the back yard. They also found a black baseball cap, which is too big to belong to the kids of my other upstairs neighbors. (So far as I know, the screen is still lying there. I will probably go pick it up later today.)
Then I had to get dressed and get a ride in a police SUV down to the station to give my statement. That was interesting. First I was in a room that did not have a witness chair -- just a hard wood bench with three steel rings set into the concrete wall, presumably for chaining suspects. But that computer wasn't working, so the officer and I went into the next room, which had a proper chair. Anyway, I talked, he typed and occasionally asked questions, and then I got to look the document over and make some edits. He then printed out a copy for me to sign, which makes it all official.
And now I am home again and sleep is pretty much out of the question for the near future.
I just.
Those rings are things I wear every day. One of them was made specifically for me. Those necklaces were from Ardis. Taking them is like taking pieces of me.
And he was pawing through my underwear.
...
Fall Creek is usually a very safe and quiet neighborhood, which is why I was never really worried about living in a ground floor apartment. I am worried now. My first reaction, when I saw the open window, was not to think about fingerprints and evidence, but to raise the blind and pull the window down and lock it. It's still down. It's still locked.
I am not sure when I will feel able to unlock it again.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2010-07-09 12:38 pm (UTC)I can only imagine the level of violation you're feeling with such personal items missing and your underwear raked through (I really HATE these people!). I'm just really glad you're not hurt, he could have pulled a gun or knife on you *hugs you again*
And you should still get the window swept for fingerprints. Unless he was wearing gloves he WILL have left some and after yours are eleminated they can at least have this bastard's on record in case this happens to someone else. >:(
(no subject)
Date: 2010-07-09 08:02 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-07-10 02:59 am (UTC)