Grosse Pointe Park Woman, Dogs Catch Burglar

Leslie Faber loves her dogs. They are her children, she says, laughing. 

Emmy and Blue, a huskie shepard and a huskie golden, came to her aid early Thursday when she encountered a 15-year-old boy standing within reach in her attached garage on Buckingham Road in . 

Faber and her dogs had just returned from a routine early morning walk that was cut short because of a loose dog wandering in the area. After setting down her dogs' leashes, Faber noticed her bicycle helmet was rocking back and forth. 

Her initial thought was that an animal had gotten into the garage. Then she looked a bit farther up, and she found she was peering into the eyes of a teenager. Essentially face-to-face, the teen stepped forward, putting his face into more light, Faber said. 

Instantly she started yelling at him—not screaming, she said, pointing out the distinction. She yelled questions at him, asking him why he was there, who he was, what he was doing. He briefly responded, telling her he was only there to take her bicycle.

She yelled more, commanding him to stay right where he was, explaining if he moved at all, her dogs would attack. She realized just how close they were to each other, and backed up, closing the door between them but still remaining in sight. She continued yelling as she hit the speed dial to the Grosse Pointe Park police—her first programmed speed dial. 

She yelled to the dispatcher that someone was in her garage and yelled her address over and over to the dispatcher and yelled more at the teenager. She told him if he tried to go out the only door that was an option, her dogs would tear his legs off. And Faber continued yelling at him until police arrived. 

"The timing was quite perfect, not for him, of course," Faber said.

The encounter has not left Faber feeling any less safe; of course, that feeling of safety may have been shattered had the teen not been caught and arrested, Faber said.

The important takeaway from her perspective is sharing her experience with her neighbors and ensuring residents are vigilant, she said. When something seems out of place, it probably is, she said, so let neighbors or police know.

As a creature of habit with her morning walks, she said she could easily notice if something were askew in her neighborhood. She never dreamed her house would be the target of a crime. She parks her cars in the garage, she has a high security fence that is accessible by keypad only, she has a high fence in the backyard, and she is aware of her surroundings. 

In this instance, she said she believes one of her dogs was trying to let her know that the teen was on her property before she even left for the walk. For the third day in a row, one of her dogs walked to the edge of her property and continually barked. She figured the dog was barking about a rabbit or some other animal.

Now she believes the teen was already in her second, newer detached garage ransacking her cars for valuables and cash and that he saw her leave for her walk, even watching as the security gates closed. 

The teen, who is being held in Wayne County Juvenile Detention, had time to enter her home and steal cell phones, including an old phone that was tucked away in a drawer, and cash, Faber said. Meanwhile, her husband was sleeping upstairs and didn't hear a thing, even when she was yelling. 

And that brings Faber to her second point. The old homes of Grosse Pointe Park are somewhat soundproof, Faber said, meaning unless windows are open, residents are unlikely to hear noise going on outside while they are inside or even hear the noise of neighbors in their homes. This is all the more reason residents and neighborhoods need to be more vigilant. 

Faber is drafting a letter to all of her neighbors to be distributed this weekend informing them of this crime at her home as a first step to improving awareness, she said.

"It's disturbing....This is a very sad thing," Faber said. "But we do need to do our part to keep our neighborhood safe."

The teen was alone—although it was questioned in the midst of Faber calling police. She had to call her husband upstairs to wake him and warn him that others could be in the house, she said.

He did not break into any neighboring homes that Faber is aware of but Detective David Loch said he is being . The thefts have included large amounts of cash, cell phones, loose change, a wallet and more. 

Loch said the teen did have some of Faber's possessions on him at the time of his arrest, mentioning how the teen stayed right where Faber told him to out of fear of her dogs. 

Detectives have already turned the case from Faber's home over to the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office, Loch said. The prosecutor's office is considering what charges are appropriate, Loch said.

In addition to the use of her dogs to create fear in the teen, Faber believes her unwavering gut reaction to yell at him helped her take control of the situation. The fact that she didn't run away screaming in fear was a factor, she said, and her fear of her dogs getting hurt only furthered the strength of her reaction. 

As far as the dogs, who knows whether they would have actually attacked, Faber said, but they were certainly on guard. None of them had been put in a situation like this one previously, she said, noting the surprise by the responding officers. 

"(The police) were stunned I think. I contained him in the garage.... I just can't believe somebody would go to that extent," Faber said, noting if it can happen at her home that is set up to be secure, it can happen anywhere. 

"Thank god for my dogs. Otherwise he would have run away."