TRAVERSE CITY — A woman who police said wandered into several occupied Traverse City homes and stole a bizarre assortment of items is expected to face felony charges.
Investigators said the woman, 18, took golf equipment, wine, toiletries, oil paints, shoes, a lamp and more from three homes on the 200 block of East Ninth Street overnight Saturday.
She was drunk when she went on the burglary spree, police believe.
"Sometimes, people do things that are hard to explain, especially when they're intoxicated or have other issues," Traverse City Police Capt. Steve Morgan said.
One of the homeowners called police on Sunday shortly before 9 a.m. to report a stolen laptop computer and other items. As officers spoke with that woman, two other nearby homeowners approached to report stolen items.
One homeowner saw and spoke with the suspect inside her home at about 5 a.m. The suspect told the homeowner she was "looking for the house where she was partying," Morgan said, and left without incident.
The homeowner, who didn't call police after that encounter, later discovered items missing.
One of the officers handled a complaint of a minor in possession of alcohol at a 10th Street residence not long before the home invasion complaint, and the officer realized the description of the home invasion suspect matched the drinking minor. Officers went to that residence, where the suspect lives, and found her with the stolen items. She was arrested without incident, but was "uncooperative" when asked why she entered the homes and took the items.
Two of the three homes entered were unlocked, Morgan said. The suspect pushed her way in through a window of the third house. Residents need to remember to lock doors at night, he said.
It's not uncommon for drunken individuals to wander into unlocked homes and pass out, Morgans said. That's disturbing enough, he said, but those people usually don't have criminal plans.
A homeowner can reasonably assume a stranger in their home at night doesn't have the best intentions, Morgan said, so such situations can turn ugly in a hurry.
"There's a real high level of danger when you're entering someone's house to commit a crime," he said.
The woman hadn't been charged Monday afternoon. She's expected to face felony home invasion charges.
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Odd thefts lead to charges
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