TRAVERSE CITY -- Traverse City Police are investigating a rash of home invasions that happened over the last several nights. Authorities say four homes, near the downtown area were hit on Tuesday and Thursday nights. In each case residents were sleeping when the thieves snuck in.
7&4’s Kate Fox shows us who was targeted.
All of these invasions have something in common, intruders got in through un-locked doors. And now the residents of these homes say they've learned a valuable lesson.
Jack Hagen’s home was one of the four that was targeted and he says, "You feel violated, it's a really creepy sensation and it's not something you ever suspect."
For Jack Hagen it's an alarming thought that an intruder was lurking in his house last night while he was fast asleep upstairs. Hagen says sometimes he forgets to lock the doors but he won't make that mistake again.
Hagen says, "It seems like it's trending which is strange because it didn't seem like it was a problem in the 10 or the 11 years I’ve lived here -- so I’d say its a wake up call yea."
It’s also a wake up call for David Speirs -- whose house on Wayne Street was targeted on Tuesday night.
Speirs says, "I didn't lock the door to the deck and they slid in-- it was an opportunity. They took a money clip which contained some cash, credit cards and my driver’s license and my cell phone."
Speirs says in a small community like Traverse City, it never seemed necessary to double check the locks.
Speirs explains, "Everyone is your friend--everybody helps each other when they have the opportunity and the need --- it's just like family even though their neighbors --and a little bit of that is taken away because now we have to make a small prison of each of our houses to ensure were safe at night."
Police say folks need to remember to secure their homes because night-time invasions can turn dangerous rather quickly.
Traverse City Police Captain Steve Morgan says, "If a home owner is startled out of sleep with an intruder -- first though is personal safety-- it’s a very scary situation for homeowners -- it can turn violent in an instant with someone trying to protect themselves or their properties."
Captain Morgan says they have no leads, no suspects at this time -- but it does appear that the crimes are connected.
