Rifle-wielding burglar apologizes to homeowners, gives $200 for broken window

A Santa Fe burglar, who was caught in the act last week, apologized to the owners of the house and gave them $200 for the window he broke in order to gain entry before he eventually left the scene.

Jewelry in the house and left on a counter had not been touched by the suspect. The suspect also reportedly slept in the house, bathed, ate food, and drank beer prior to the owners returning to their residence in Vereda Serena.

According to a Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office report, the owners found the man in a back room. While a duffel bag and an AR-15 scoped rifle had been next to the suspect, he did not threaten the homeowners when they encountered him.

Instead, he picked up his items, dropped $200 on a living room chair while he left, saying the money was “reimbursement for the window he broke,” the report noted.

The owner recalled that “the male was extremely embarrassed and apologetic about the situation, the report said. When the owners asked why he was in the home, the man said that “his family was killed in east Texas and he was running from somebody.” The suspect added that he was driving, but his vehicle had broken down about 100 miles outside of town. 

The suspect then walked away from the owners and through a ditch. A thorough search of the area by two deputies was unsuccessful in locating the man.

The police report said that larceny to the property of the homeowners came to a total of $15. It also described the suspect as being mid- to late-20s, 6 feet tall, and was wearing a blue jacket as well as baggy jeans. The case is currently still under investigation.