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More home invasions cause for concern
Published October 29, 2005
Two more reports of home invasions following a Monday
break-in that left an elderly man hospitalized have residents of the Meadowlake Village subdivision on edge.
The two
latest incidents both occurred Thursday, when a man reportedly tried to kick in the front door of a home on Breda Drive before
he was scared away by the homeowner. In a separate incident on Pawnee Street, a woman came home to find her front door wide
open.
The first incident occurred between 3:15 and 3:45 p.m., when a man reported someone began ringing his doorbell.
As he approached the door, he heard the person on the other side tampering with the screen door and kicking the front door.
The homeowner reportedly shouted at the suspect through the door and threatened to shoot him if he entered, prompting the
suspect to flee. The homeowner told police the suspect was a black male in his early 20s.
Details on the second incident,
which occurred around 5:20 p.m. were scant, with a full police report not yet available. A woman returned home to find her
front door open and called police to check and see if the house was safe to enter. It was undetermined whether anything was
taken from the home.
Lt. John Martin with the Harris County Sheriff’s Office asked for residents to be particularly
alert because information from witnesses can make the difference in generating viable leads to track down a suspect.
“The
more information we can get about it the better our chances of solving these cases,” Martin said. “If we have
a particular area that sees a sudden increase in any type of incident we do increase our patrols.”
Manuel Barba,
74, was assaulted during a home invasion Monday on Shoshone Drive. Barba’s grandson discovered him unconscious when
he came home and rushed him to San Jacinto Methodist Hospital. He was later taken to Memorial Hermann Hospital where he is
listed in stable condition.
Sgt. Bruce Williams said investigators had still not been able to talk with Barba and that
no progress had been made so far in the case.
Homeowners are concerned over the outbreak of home invasions, which one resident
who asked to remain unidentified said are uncommon to the quiet neighborhood.
“We are changing the way we’re
doing things,” the resident said, noting some parents aren’t allowing their children to stay home alone.
The
resident said a marquee near the neighborhood’s entrance might soon be changed to warn residents.
“We want
to kind of give a heads up,” the resident said. “Three in one week is a lot.”
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