Burglar Lives at Vienna Home While Family on Vacation: Police

VIENNA, VA -- A Vienna family got a shock when they returned home from vacation and found that someone had broken into their home, stolen food and appeared to have lived there while they were gone, according to the Town of Vienna Police.

The incident took place last week between Monday afternoon and early Friday, when they returned from a vacation, police said.

The burglary took place at a home on Moorefield Creek Road SW in Vienna (see map below).

Here are some tips from Ackerman Security about hiding house keys.

Worst place to hide a house key

• Under your welcome mat You might as well be welcoming a burglar into your home because this is the first place they’ll look.

• Under a flower pot near the front door This hiding spot is convenient for you— and for a burglar.

• Inside a poorly placed fake rock That fake rock isn’t fooling anyone if it’s just sitting in a garden and there are no other rocks around.

• Your wallet If someone steals your wallet, they have your home’s address (since it’s on your driver’s license) and the spare key to get inside your home. This is a burglar’s dream come true.

Best places to hide a spare house key

• With a neighbor you trust We believe that your neighbors are your best allies against burglars. So give a trusted neighbor your spare key. If anyone finds the key, they’ll just assume it’s the neighbor’s, not yours. Just make sure there’s no information on the key that would identify it with you. This is the most secure place to hide a key, but also the least convenient (unless they neighbor hides they key somewhere safe outside where you can find it).

• In a magnetized lock box under your car Most burglaries occur from 10 a.m to 3 p.m—when you’re not home. So it makes sense to hide your key in a car magnet key case under your car. Because when you’re not home, neither is your car—or the spare key.

• Under the dog house You know what burglars hate? Dogs. Especially loud ones. They don’t want to go near them. So that means they’re not going to go near the dog house either. Hide the key under the dog house to keep it safe.

• Fake sprinkler key holder Move over fake rock, here comes the fake sprinkler key holder. This fake sprinkler head is indistinguishable from a real one and blends in nicely. Obviously, this is only for homeowners who have sprinkler systems.

PHOTO of police lights/Shutterstock image