Burglars Called Victims to Make Sure They Weren't Home

The victims of two separate West Ashley burglaries reportedly spoke to the people who allegedly broke into their homes on the phone just seconds before the crimes were committed, according to two Charleston Police Department reports.

A woman who lives in an apartment at 1020 Little John Drive received a phone call from an ex-boyfriend asking where she was on Nov. 16 while she was away from home, according to one report. He allegedly told her he "had something for her," the report stated.

The victim said when she told her ex that she was not home she heard glass shattering over the phone line. Around the same time one of the victim's neighbors called the Charleston Police Department and the apartment management to report he had seen the victim's ex-boyfriend smash her window with an object wrapped in a black T-shirt, according to the report.

Officers recovered the bundle at the scene and found a wrench wrapped inside the shirt. The victim's Dell laptop was stolen and her mattress was ripped in several places.

Also on Nov. 16, a family living in an apartment at 1900 Hazelwood Drive was the victim of a similar burglary that followed a phone call asking if anyone was home, according to a separate CPD report.

The victim told investigators that he suspects an acquaintance, who called him while he was at the hospital with family, is the person who kicked in the front door and stole a rifle, the report states.

The call came shortly after 7 p.m. last Friday after the victims had arrived at the hospital. The caller asked the victim where he was, and he told the caller the whole family was at the hospital. The family returned home around 9:16 that night and found their front door kicked in and the rifle gone, the report stated.

As of Tuesday, Nov. 21, no charges have been filed in either case, but investigations into both crimes are ongoing.