Early New Year's morning, a Missoula woman awoke to find a burglar standing in her bedroom.

Missoula Police spokesman Travis Welsh said, in the darkened room she thought the man was her husband, but he turned out to be a burglar.

"Officers responded to a female resident who said she awoke to find a male standing in her bedroom, who was looking at items on her dresser," Welsh said. "Think it might be her husband, she called out to him and he quickly left the room and the residence, apparently fleeing on foot. She then discovered that several items were missing from the home and the garage."

Welsh said the incident helps to bring home the message that all doors and windows should be locked in the home and garage to keep burglars away.

"It's always a good idea to lock your doors at night, but don't forget to lock the ground floor windows and make sure they're secured," he said. "It's also important to use window coverings at night, because you lose your night-blindness when you are in a lighted room looking out into darkness. Someone outside can clearly see inside a lighted room while they are outside in the darkness."

Welsh said the woman was frightened, but not injured in the incident. The alleged burglar is still at large, and the case remains under investigation.

 

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