“Curiosity killed the cat,”goes the addage. In this case, the cats’ curious behavior exposed a burglary.
Donnice and Jordan Michael were on vacation in Guadalajara, Mexico, when a female neighbor saw something suspicious, three unfamiliar felines running in the streets. She walked around the neighborhood until she saw the front door open to the Michaels’ home.
After she verified that no one was inside, she contacted the couple’s Realtor, who sent an email to the Michaels.
Donnice looked at the email and was shocked. “We were on a vacation with friends,” she says. “All that [the Realtor] could say was that he didn’t know what was taken. And our three cats were roaming the neighborhood.”
Jordan’s parents, Plano residents, went to the house to investigate after they received a phone call from Donnice. The in-laws inspected the house and found that Donnice’s purse, computer and 2002 Nissan were missing.
Despite the bad news, the Michaels decided to stay in Mexico and enjoy what was left of their vacation, knowing they had to face the consequences when they returned.
“The cats are still traumatized by the events,” Donnice says. “Baby Ruth jumps on the refrigerator and growls when the doorbell rings. This has never happened before.”
Two weeks later the car was found totaled two blocks away. Donnice says this was the first time that either she or her husband has been the victim of crime.
Sr. Cpl. Ron Carpenter, of the Northeast Police Division, analyzed the case file of the burglary and offered solutions to make the front entry safer. “The home was entered by forcing open the front door. While there is nothing that can be done to totally make a front door ‘burglar-proof’ there are some things that can be done to make it more ‘burglar-resistant’ … [Make] sure the strike plate and hinges are held in by 4-inch wood screws. Also, if the dead bolt lock on the front door has glass within 48 inches [of it], that lock should be a double tumbler lock that operates with a key on the inside.”
Carpenter also says most neighborhoods have active crime watch groups. For instance, the Michaels’ neighborhood has a “Volunteers in Patrol”’ program where citizens drive around the area watching for suspicious activity, calling 911 when something is observed. At the very least, introducing yourself to neighbors makes you safer, he says.
