A series of home invasions over the past few days led Columbus Police Chief Selvain McQueen to issue a public safety announcement Saturday encouraging residents to keep their doors and windows locked as an extra precaution.
The first incident occurred early Thursday morning. McQueen said a black male entered the window of a home at 912 11th Ave. S. around 3:04 a.m. and sat on the victim’s bed.
According to McQueen, the suspect told the woman that he had been watching her for two weeks and had seen her reading her Bible and praying at night. The suspect fled when the victim’s roommate woke up.
As the homeowner chased him from the yard, the suspect yelled, “I’m from the projects! Don’t turn the dog loose on me!”
The suspect is a black male around 6 feet one inch tall, with a mustache and a beard. When last seen, he was walking toward Ninth Street South, wearing a black hat and jacket, a red shirt and blue jeans.
Also on Thursday, at 6:14 a.m., a suspect entered a nursing home resident’s room at 310 Emerald Drive and placed a chair against the door as the victim slept. He is believed to have entered through the victim’s bedroom window.
An employee of the nursing home was standing outside smoking and reported a black male running from the area, holding up his pants, which appeared to be too large.
Nothing is believed to have been stolen, and McQueen said the victim was not assaulted.
Friday, at 11:16 p.m., police responded to 3578 Highway 45 N., after receiving a 911 call of someone trying to enter the home via the basement. The suspect fled, possibly by vehicle, when the homeowner screamed.
The suspect entered through an unlocked basement door, but no further details are available at this time.
At 1:38 a.m. on Saturday, at 517 13th Ave. S., another victim told police she was awakened by a black male, who struck her with an unknown object.
When he demanded money, she gave him $50 she kept beneath her pillow. She said he then covered her mouth with his hand and struck her with a porcelain figurine. An LG Slider cell phone, valued at $199.99, was also stolen.
The victim was treated for injuries at the scene but refused further treatment, according to McQueen.
The suspect is a black male, approximately 5 feet 6 inches tall.
“I see a possible pattern developing,” McQueen said Saturday morning. “It’s not my intent to cause mass hysteria.”
He said he mainly wanted to disseminate the information about the four incidents as a reminder of the dangers of not making sure doors and window locks are secure.
Carmen K. Sisson is the former news editor at The Dispatch.
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