A Red Lodge resident says after a recent break-in at her home for sale on the edge of town she wants others to keep a cautious eye.
Watch description of break-in:
"He started at the windows downstairs looking in. He also tried the door downstairs too. He went around to the backdoor, tried it, couldn't get in. Then he got in through the garage and entered the house. And when he got into the dining room, I spoke to him through the Blink Cameras saying 'get the heck out of my house and I called the police'. He said that his Realtor said the door was unlocked and he could go in," said Jeri Ward, who had her home broken into.
Ward wasn’t home when she saw an intruder in her Red Lodge home on her security cameras. In a brief exchange through the cameras, Ward told the intruder to leave. He replied and claimed the Realtor told him to go inside, which both the realtor and Ward say is false.
"We would never do that. We are always going to be present for any showings or have a licensed broker accompanying the client,” said George Duke of Fay Ranches, the listing broker for the property.
The intruder's excuse rang false when it could be seen on the video that he had his jacket wrapped around his hand.
Duke is no stranger to selling rural properties. He says Ward's choice to have cameras likely prevented a worse outcome. In addition to cameras, he says anyone who will be away from their properties for extended periods of time should make it look like it’s lived in.
"If we're listing it for sale, and you're not in the residence, keep the driveways plowed. Keep it well-maintained so it looks like someone is living there. As in the case of Ms. Ward's place, she was able to deter the intruder immediately because she had the place monitored with cameras on her phone," Ward said.
Ward has called rural Montana home for her whole life and says break-ins like these are far from common. While she has taken steps to beef up her security even further, she wants others to be on the lookout.
She asks anyone who recognizes the man in the video to reach out to law enforcement.
"This is completely new. I'm a native born here in Montana, and its not something you usually hear about being in the country," said Ward.
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