The burgler stole even frozen meat.

The Victim: Lonnie Chesney
The Crime: Burglary
Date:
Wednesday, Aug. 18
Time: Between 1:20 p.m. and 2:30 p.m.
Location: 6700 block of Mockingbird

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Lonnie Chesney and his wife enjoy helping out at their local YMCA. On the afternoon of Aug. 18, they were once again volunteering.

“We’ve made a lot of friends there,” he says of the center. “We were helping refinish the furniture at the day care center.”

The couple had returned to their Lakewood Trails home that afternoon around 2:30 to retrieve a few things. They were shocked at what they found.

“We entered up the alley, and noticed that the garage door was open. Pulling into the driveway we saw that a hole had been kicked into the door inside the garage,” Chesney says. “I ran inside the house, and all the lights were on. I grabbed my gun, and went in each room thinking I’d find someone.”

Thieves had used bolt cutters to cut the lock to the family’s rear gate and get inside the garage. The crooks got away with quite a bit, including jewelry, cameras, a big–screen television, phones, a rifle, a shotgun, a handgun, watches, a computer and more. The total loss was more than $15,000.

One stolen item was a bit surprising — frozen food.

“My wife said they got mostly meat, hardly any vegetables. So we know they’re not very healthy,” he says with a laugh. “But they did take some ice cream.”

The loss was a real downer, Chesney says, especially after doing something so nice in the morning to help their community. Fortunately, friends have been there for him and his wife.

“It really is depressing,” he says. “You go from the highest of highs to the lowest of lows. Some friends of ours came over, and they even brought me a television and brought my wife a computer to use.”

Dallas Police Sgt. Keitric Jones of the Northeast Patrol Division says that if a resident believes someone is still in his home, it is best not to enter the home.

“If you find yourself in this position, call 911 immediately, and back away to a safe area where you can still see the location, but are not in the way of an escape,” he says. “Remain on the phone with the 911 operator and give updates until police arrive. After officers ‘clear’ the location, only then should you enter the location.”

As for food stolen from the kitchen, Jones says this is not the first time he has seen this.

“Anything of value is fair game to a criminal. I am not saying that it is a common occurrence, but I have seen refrigerators emptied and even ‘leftovers’ reheated and eaten before the burglars fled the location.”