Florida woman watches home burglarized live on Web

I know some people like to install live video feeds in their homes.

I always imagined it was because they don't trust their spouses. Or because they're well, a little odd. Perhaps even very odd.

However, Jeanne Thomas, 43, put her live feed in last October when her home was burglarized. Which turns out to have been a peculiarly clairvoyant decision.

She was sitting in her office Wednesday, and, perhaps because offices are somewhat tedious places, she happened to be watching her dogs scamper about at home.

Suddenly, she noticed visitors appearing through her doggie door. Were her doggies having a poodle party while their Mommy was working? These did not appear to be, well, doggies at all. No, these were hound dogs who were slim enough and mean enough to burglarize her house.

One can only imagine the few seconds during which Ms. Thomas must have suddenly experienced a rapidly expanding air pocket in her throat. However, she swallowed hard and called 911.

The Boynton Beach, Fla., police, ever armed and ready, raced over to her house where they apprehended Curtis Williams, 20 and Steven Morales, 19, inside. They caught another couple of suspects at a home nearby.

The accused are charged with trying to make off with a 37-inch flat screen TV, a "gaming machine" (with games), and a safe.

The police, having appeared, as police should do, right at the end of the movie, sped back to their place of work and put Ms. Thomas' video on YouTube.

It is an enchanting five minutes of footage, so please enjoy. Apparently, it makes for more than interesting viewing when you're just sitting around at the office.

[demecles]

Fascinating video, take note of how the dogs valiantly defend the home. Also notice how the second police officer in line flags the first one as the enter the home.

[sanjayb]

The dogs did nothing!!

[Robert-The-Soviet]

@sanjayb

sar?casm? ?[sahr-kaz-uhm] Show IPA
?noun
1. harsh or bitter derision or irony.
2. a sharply ironical taunt; sneering or cutting remark: a review full of sarcasms.

[GKrynen]

My daughter noticed the crooks were hungry first, then stealing. Also the cat made sure to check on these guys and try to distract them using the 'feed me' approach. Is there another camera, the blinking one, that seems to be pointed at the wall?

[tekwiz4u]

Put 2 rottweilers in the house, and they wont even bother coming in. Toy dogs are useless. Glad they caught those 2 thugs anyways.

[JCPayne]

Common misconception. Dogs very rarely harm burglars.... You need to watch the TV series it Takes a Thief and you'd see that...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/It_Takes_a_Thief_(2005_TV_series)

Tons of time they break into homes where the homeowners thought neighbours would call, that the dogs would howl, or that the alarm would alert the police before they even left. If you watch the show you quickly realise they get away more times than not. Ofcourse on the show after they totally trash the house they pay to fix everything back.

[willdryden]

I agree. Some dogs are pets, my dog would have ripped them to shreds. He does not like strangers at all. The cops would have had to shoot my dog to save the bad guys.

[kevsmail]

Amazing video! I'm glad those scumbags didn't abuse the pets!

[skshrews]

You can monitor remotely with Orb. I use it with a laptop camera. It will email you video.

[HavocStyles]

You know I found the first ones myspace page LOL

[gerrrg]

There is no clairvoyance involved; most homes that are burglarized once, will be victimized again. Burglars already know the layout and the inside.

[dragonbite]

I think the clairvoyance remark was about her actually looking at the video at the time of the burglary while at the office where people are supposed to *gasp*.. work! ;)

[Harrison912]

As a web site owner of safety and security products like the ones used here in this story, I'm very glad to see them instrumental in catching the bad guys. Thanks, Chris, for sharing this great story.

[renGek]

I currently have a web cam set up with motion detection because I suspect someone has been in my home. Its not the first time I believed it so. The first time, I was correct but the landlord told me 2 days later than he was in my apt to fix something I had asked him to fix weeks ago. This time I know someone was in my apt because of the evidence they left behind. The tv was on a channel that I never watch. The living room light was on (its compact flourescent so it takes 20-30 seconds to light up which means I couldn't have hit the light switch by accident when I walked in). Gonna stream it, find out who it is and then haul their behind to the cops.

[ChrisMatyszczyk]

@renGek,

And will you write to us and let us know who it was? I think your landlord has a secret lover and is using your apartment for trysts....

Chris

[gjl229]

For those who read little but texts, instructions, blogs, and subtitles:

"Is there any point to which you would wish to draw my attention?"
"To the curious incident of the dog in the night-time."
"The dog did nothing in the night-time."
"That was the curious incident," remarked Sherlock Holmes.