Scary Moments As Intruder Makes Presence Known

A Rancho Santa Margarita resident called 9-1-1 earlier this week to report that someone was in her kitchen in the middle of the night, even though all the doors were supposed to be locked.

According to the blotter of the Orange County Sheriff's Department, the situation unfolded a bit before 3 a.m. on Wednesday on Via Belmonte.

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The informant was home alone with a small dog in an upstairs bedroom when she thought she heard someone in the kitchen—and then heard something rattle as well. She also saw a motion light go on in the backyard.

When she called the 9-1-1 operator, she indicated she thought she heard a male say, "Hello, is anybody home?"

When she looked out the window, she saw someone standing in her backyard near her grill, possibly a blond teenager.

The home backs up to wilderness and the backyard could have been accessed by jumping the back fence, she said.

About seven minutes after the informant called for police, she could no longer see the man in the backyard, but heard noises as though the intruder may have been running away and tripped over some patio furniture.

While deputies were en route, they attempted to get air support via the OCSD helicopter but to no avail.

They made contact with the informant and cleared the area but were unable to locate the man.

The call originated Wednesday, 2:53 a.m., from Belmonte.

This report was culled from the Orange County Sheriff's website. Not all facts in each report are made public; the outcome of the report, as well as the facts, may differ from the original blotter item. All items are alleged to have occurred. There should be no assumption of guilt based on this limited information.