Police Seek Burglars Who Robbed Woman's Home Three Times
NORTHEAST MIAMI-DADE (CBSMiami) – A Northeast Miami-Dade woman whose home has been burglarized three times in the past 18 months hopes that new surveillance tape and a new watch dog will end this crime spree.
Miami-Dade Police released surveillance tape from the third burglary at the home of Donald and Deanne Leach since March of 2011.
It's not known why their home along busy Northeast 26th Avenue at 195th Street has been victimized so much and Leach does not believe the three crimes are connected.
She told CBS4's Peter D'Oench she will not forget the latest images from the home's security cameras. They show two young people fleeing from her home just after 9 a.m. on August 7th with two bags filled with $4,000 worth of items.
"They took a lot of electronic stuff, iPads, Playstations, my entire jewelry box, even bottles of liquor," she told D'Oench. "It seemed like they knew what they were doing. It seemed like this was not the first time that they robbed people."
"This is a violation," she said. "The first time it happened I was hurt and upset. The second time I was very angry. The third time you think you don't want it to happen to you again."
The surveillance tape shows how one suspect who police say is between 17 and 19 years old and who has several tattoos on his left arm approaches the home and tries to heave a rock through a sliding glass door. The glass does not break. So the burglars slip in through a side window.
Police say a second suspect who is seen fleeing is 15 to 17 years old and has long black dreads.
They were inside the home for about 10 minutes, said Leach.
"They tried to get in through this sliding glass door but they could not because the glass would not break so they went in through the side window," she said. "It just kind of makes me angry. I don't know where to put my anger. At first I wanted to blame the police but they can only do so much."
"We're trying to be advocates. We're out there telling people to be aware," she said. "We're going around talking to neighbors. At this point it's not about the items. The items are gone. It's about the people doing the crime. We want them caught."
Leach said she did not believe the three crimes are connected.
"The first time we were burglarized was in March of last year," she said. "We did not have surveillance tape then. It happened just two weeks before we were married. The first time, someone kicked open the front door and entered the home after the front panel was smashed in. So we put in a steel door."
The Leaches then acquired a home security system. And in April of this year, she said "a man in his 50s" was captured on tape breaking in to their home.
"He actually pulled up in a car and the mailman saw him," said Leach.
In this latest crime, you see a striking image on the tape. As the first burglar approaches, the Leaches' 7-year-old, 14-pound rat terrier named Rudy is seen getting out of his bed outside the home. He darts away from the burglars but does not bark.
Rudy sometimes stays outside when the Leaches are running errands and is protected by a fenced-in yard.
"Rudy was just sitting outside," Leach said. "You could tell something alerted him. Because minutes before they approached on surveillance tape, you see Rudy get up and walk to the end of the patio. He was watching them. He could have been hurt. That's why we have a second dog as a deterrent."
After the third burglary, Deanne Leach and her husband Donald acquired a 7-month-old Doberman Pinscher named Mila, who now serves as their watch dog.
Leach said a total of $10,000 worth of items were stolen in all three burglaries.
If you recognize either of these two burglars, call Crime Stoppers at (305) 471-TIPS (8477) or (866) 471-8477.
Visit www.crimestoppersmiami.com and select "Give a Tip"
Send a text message to 274637. Enter CSMD followed by the tip information and press send.
