Victims of home burglaries speak out and hope they will get some justice

Out of a string of burglaries in the Palm Desert Country Club area, two women share their experiences with News Channel 3. Amy Howard and her husband were on their way out of town in August when their home was broken into, and items were stolen. Kristin and her husband experienced a burglary while on vacation in July. They are both working with Law enforcement to get further details on potential suspects or a suspect.

Kristin Hardy was on vacation during July 4th holiday weekend and received a nightmare call. "We received a call on July 4th. I was in the hotel with my younger daughters," says Hardy. "Our home was broken into through my daughter's room using a crowbar. And I knew correct, then they have gotten everything that, you know, meant something to me, so there was nothing we could do as far as getting back home."

Amy Howard's home was burglarized on August 3rd. "Within six hours of leaving our home, we got a phone call when my credit card had been used fraudulently," says Howard. "And then the gardener notified us we had a broken window." Howard was on her way to enjoying her vacation and had to cut it short. She shared with us that all of her family heirlooms were taken by the burglar and some personal information like passports and credit cards.

Both women did not want burglaries to happen in their neighborhood, so they began sharing tips on keeping their homes safe. If you're going out of town, you can call the Palm Desert Sheriff's Station at 760-836-1600. "And you can say I live on this street, I'm going out of town from here to here, and you can ask for them to put extra patrol cars in the neighborhood," says Amy Howard. We called the number and confirmed with the Sheriff's department that you could use this service.

"There has been a slight increase in burglaries within the Palm Desert Country Club in the past few months, as with all areas within the county," says Sergeant Brandi Swan. Deputies arrested one burglary suspect on August 23rd in connection with at least one burglary attempt in that neighborhood.

The Riverside County District attorney's office confirmed that the arrests made are not in connection to the victims we interviewed. "We would remind the community members to keep all doors and windows locked, increase lighting around their houses, install surveillance cameras, keep their garage doors closed and locked, and be vigilant of their surroundings," says Sergeant Brandi Swan. 

After going through a burglary, Hardy tries to get her family back to what she remembers as usual, but she, too, has increased the security at her home. "Maybe tell your neighbors that you're gonna go out of town," says Hardy. "Keep music on, and keep lights on as well." Howard shared that CSO Stacey Austin gave her some environmental safety tips and told them to use the Palm Desert Sheriff's station as a resource.