Hillsborough Co. deputies need your help to find three men they say broke into a home, all while the family of four was inside asleep.
The three male suspects allegedly came right up to the homeowner's car, rifled through it until they found a garage door opener, then snuck in through the door, and walked right up to the unlocked door leading from the garage into the home, getting inside with four people asleep in the house.
"Definitely unsettling," said home invasion victim Connie Thomas.
Thomas lives in her Dover home with her husband, son and daughter-in-law. Her son got up early last Tuesday morning, and noticed right away something was off.
"He was getting ready to go to work and noticed his wallet was missing from the counter, and thought, 'That's unusual. Maybe I left it in my car,'" Thomas said.
Outside, he noticed the garage door was partially up and all three cars in the driveway had been broken into. When he went back inside, he realized a laptop and watch given to him by his wife before their wedding, were gone. The suspects got away undetected.
"They heard somebody up and must've take off at that point," said Thomas.
Thankfully, no one was hurt.
"What they did was wrong. Unacceptable. But if they would've just asked for something, I probably would've helped. If they're doing it just because of devilment, or to get money for drugs or alcohol or something, that's where I have a problem," Thomas said.
The three suspects did make a big mistake. They took credit cards from inside the stolen wallet and bought more than $900 worth of stuff from WalMart, all caught on surveillance video. They went to Chick-Fil-A for breakfast, then back to WalMart, where the cards got denied because the family had canceled them.
The family's now learned a simple lesson, the hard way.
"Make sure everything is locked securely. If you have an alarm system at your house, make sure that it is armed," Thomas said.
The family's now learned at least one neighbor was hit the same night as their house. The suspects went into their garage through an open window and allegedly took tools from inside. The trio is believed to be driving around in a black Kia SUV.
If you have any information that can help, or recognize the suspects, contact the Hillsborough Co. Sheriff's Office.
