Girl startled by home intruder
By Jeff Gallatin
Bay Village
Published Sept. 23, 2009

City police are checking a home break-in on Nantucket Way in which an 11-year-old girl saw an intruder in her home Sept. 15 for possible links to other incidents, a police official said Monday.

Detective Lt. Mark Spaetzel said officers have not established any specific links to other incidents at this point, but noted there were some similarities.

“We’re looking at different possibilities,” he said. “This one apparently was able to enter through one unlocked area or accessible area, which has happened in other incidents this year.”

In this incident, Spaetzel said the girl was home sick when the incident happened.

“She actually was on the phone with a parent when it happened,” he said. “She heard something while she was on the phone.”

Spaetzel said the front door was locked, but that the man, described as a white male in his late teens, apparently found one unlocked back door and got in.

“That’s what these people will do,” he said. “They go to homes and try and see if anybody is home, so they’ll ring the doorbell or look around,” he said. “If they don’t get a response, then they’ll go looking for a way to try and get in the house and either go through an unlocked or easily broken entry point.”

Spaetzel said if people hear or see something suspicious, they shouldn’t hesitate to contact police.

“That’s what we’re here for,” he said. “In this case, after the girl got off the phone, she heard something and went to check. She began looking around and then saw the man in the house. He apparently saw her and fled from the house. If you hear or see anything that you deem as suspicious, then call the police and we’ll check it”

Spaetzel said the girl was not injured and nothing was taken apparently.

“There was no actual physical contact,” he said. “He took off after he saw her.”

Responding officers canvassed the area but were not able to find anybody, Spaetzel said. He said there were no other incidents in the area around the neighborhood that day.

“We’ll continue to check into it,” he said.