Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Looking For Intruder

IN - An elderly Claymont woman was robbed by the same man she attempted to help earlier in the day, police reported.

About 10:30 p.m., the unemployed man returned to the woman’s home in the 300 block of Pyramid Avenue and told her his car had broken down and he needed to use her phone. The 75-year-old woman picked up her phone and handed it to the man, who was standing outside. When he was finished calling someone and she reached back outside to retrieve the phone, the man grabbed the her arm and forced his way inside.

New Castle County police spokesman Cpl. Trinidad Navarro said the intruder implied he was armed and threatened to kill the victim is she didn’t give him some money.

The victim, meanwhile, hit the man in the head with the phone and struck him in the body with a broom.

Navarro said the man ran upstairs to a bedroom while the woman ran to another room and called police. When officers arrived at the house minutes later, the man had already escaped.

The victim’s pocketbook was found in the bedroom turned upside down with no obvious items taken.

The victim told police the man first came to her door around 1 p.m. Thursday, asking if she needed someone to do her yard work. He told the woman he recently lost his job and needed to buy diapers for his child. The victim agreed to pay him $30 to rake leaves, which took about 40 minutes to complete.

After the woman paid him $30, he complained the she owed him more money. The woman refused to give him any more but allowed him to use her telephone outside before he left.

The man is about 5’9 inches tall, between 25-35, with short blonde hair. He was last seen wearing blue jeans and a plaid shirt.

Anyone with information on his identity is asked to call Detective Michael Zilinski at 395-8110 or Crime Stoppers at (800) TIP-3333.

Contact Terri Sanginiti at 324-2771 or tsanginiti@delawareonline.com

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

What a low life. I hope they find this sob and lock him up forever.