Home invasion in 2009

December 13, 20009- Home invasion is a concern for people across the United States.  I published some definitions and examples from different areas of the county.  Unfortunately, home invasions are becoming more common and we need to find ways to combat this problem.

Home invasion is the crime of entering a private and occupied dwelling, with the intent of committing a crime, often while threatening the resident of the dwelling.  It can also apply if someone is invited into a home and remains on the premises after being asked to leave by the resident.

Home invasion differs from burglary, which is usually defined as unlawful entry into any occupied or unoccupied building, with intent to commit one of a list of specified offenses. Home invasion covers an intent to commit any crime.

Home invasion may be accompanied by other crimes. Home invaders commit breaking and entering, and are sometimes intent on assault, robbery, rape, or murder.

It is commonly held belief that home invasion is a minimal threat to the average person and usually involves invaders who have a personal knowledge of the home and its owner, however the factual basis of this belief is uncertain.

Few statistics are available on home invasion as a crime, because it is not technically a crime in most states. Persons charged with "home invasion" are actually charged with robbery, kidnapping, andassault charges. But law enforcement has been seeing the increase in "home-invasion robberies" since at least June 1995, when "home-invasion robberies" were the topic of the cover story of The FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin. They state the crime is considered an alternative to bank or convenience store robberies, which are getting harder to pull off cleanly due to technological advances in security. In this same article, the FBI recommends educating the public about home invasion. Before the term "home invasion" came in use, the term "hot burglary" was often used in the literature. Early references also use "burglary of occupied homes" and "burglar striking an occupied residence"

AUSTIN, TX (myFOXaustin) - APD is investigating an early morning home invasion in North Austin, where 4 or 5 suspects attempted to rob a family living on Amesbury Lane, just off North Lamar Blvd.

Around 3 a.m. Thursday morning, APD responded to a call of a home invasion/burglary in progress. When officers arrived they saw two suspects running from the scene. Inside the home there were nine victims with head injuries. Four of them were taken to the hospital, one had a gunshot wound to the hand and the other five were treated on the scene. According to investigators, some of the victims work at Sugar's night club, and were followed back to their house by at least one of the bandits.

Police have wrapped up their search of the area after searching for hours for the home invasion suspects.   Police say they have one suspect in custody and possibly three others on the loose.

The home invasion is adding to the debate over how close adult night clubs should be to residential areas.  Long time resident Ralph Spencer believes the attack was an assault on the entire neighborhood.

"That kind of stuff, it just doesn't cut it. You don't pick on girls," said Spencer.

While people like Ralph Spencer say they are glad those who were hurt will recover, others are not happy a criminal element followed them home from work.

"(This is) Why we didn't want to become the strip club neighborhood of Austin," said neighborhood association leader Damon Howze.

The neighborhood association is currently in a fight with the city. The group is trying to prevent another adult night club from opening near Sugars. 
 

Detectives have spent the day talking to the man they caught on the roof of a neighbors house. If you have any information about the other men who are invovled, contact the Austin Police Department.

Family tied up, robbed in home invasion Sun-News report Posted: 11/24/2009 09:58:33 AM MST LAS CRUCES - A Santa Teresa family awoke to a frightening scene early Monday morning when four men broke into their home, tied them up and robbed them, according to investigators. Doña Ana Sheriff's investigators were called to the home in the 320 block of Avenida Mirador, part of the gated Santa Teresa Country Club community, around 4:30 a.m., according to a news release from the sheriff's office. Investigators learned that four suspects had forced entry into the home and threatened the family with guns. The intruders bound the two adults in the home with plastic ties and ransacked the house in search of money. The suspects, described as wearing jeans and dark-colored clothing, took a small amount of money, but no other items, and the couple and their two young children, who were not tied up, were not injured during the robbery, according to the release. Early media reports indicated that the intruders may have been dressed as law enforcement officers, but Investigator John Palmer said Monday afternoon that was not the case. He said no further information on the investigation was available. SPRING, Texas -- A woman opened fire when two robbery suspects broke into her Spring home on Sunday, KPRC Local 2 reported. Harris County Precinct 4 deputy constables said the 34-year-old was alone inside the home in the Timberlane subdivision on Briarcreek Boulevard near Cades Cove Drive at about 6 a.m. Investigators said the woman opened fire when the attackers burst through her bedroom door. "She's in her bedroom, locked in her bedroom. And she could hear them rustling through the rooms about the house. She grabbed her weapon and you know, held up inside her bedroom. It wasn't until they forced their way into her bedroom, they kicked the bedroom door in. She fired several shots at the suspects," said Lt. Jeff Stauber with the Harris County Sheriff's Department. Investigators said Gerson Jonathon Linares and Shalom Mendoza, both 17, were wounded. Detectives said the teenagers, who live in the neighborhood, ran out of the home and called for help, claiming to be the victims of a shooting. "Through our investigation, we were able to tie them back to this incident on Briarcreek," Stauber said. Investigators said the pair has admitted that they were involved in the crime. The homeowner will not face charges. "She was in fear of her life and literally held up inside her bedroom, by herself at home. And I could just imagine the fear that this woman was going through and this lady was just protecting herself," Stauber said. Residents said the attack was too close to home for their comfort, and they're considering arming themselves for protection. "We've discussed it with all the girls out here in the neighborhood," resident Rhonda Potenza said. "We're going to get gun safety courses … we've got to do what we've got to do." HOUSTON (KTRK) -- A deadly home invasion has left a woman without a husband and a baby without a father. It happened around 10am at E. 34th near Airline in north Houston. The woman told police four men kicked their way into her home and shot and killed her husband in their bedroom. She also says the men tied her up and ransacked her home before taking off. The suspects did not harm her son who is about a year old. Officers have little information to go on. Officer David Vasquez Houston Police Department said, "Is it the wrong house? It's really hard to say on these cases, you know. Hopefully, we can get a better understanding from the wife." Police think the killers took off in a large black SUV, possibly a Nissan Armada, but they don't know for sure. Home invasions are on the rise and people need to protect themselves.  Contact Summit Self Defense for options.