San Luis Obispo police are on the lookout for a prowler near Cal Poly.
The department posted on social media that they’ve received three reports of late night/early morning prowlers over the last several months.
1/3 Over the last several months, SLOPD has received three reports of late night/early morning prowlers in the neighborhood adjacent to Cal Poly, specifically McCollum Street. pic.twitter.com/ghClK4pWhk
— San Luis Obispo Police Department (@SLOCityPolice) March 31, 2022
Neighbors say a prowler has entered at least two different homes on McCollum Street.
The road is lined with single-family homes that are around the corner from Cal Poly and seconds from Highway 101.
“There’s a lot of students in the neighborhood but there's a lot of longtime residents like myself,” said Dana Justesen Trexler.
A group of young women living in one home told KSBY News that they couldn’t figure out why their cash kept disappearing.
“We never thought that someone could be coming into our house taking the cash until we recently put up a ring [camera] and caught footage of someone trying to break into our house,” said one of the residents who did not want to share her name.
Here’s a slow-motion version of the recently captured footage that was turned over to police:
“There was a black mask so all we could see were his eyes. He had like black gloves, black everything and all we saw was him walking up to our door, making visual of our ring and then turning around,” the resident explained.
He didn’t make off with anything that time, but the roommates say a total of $1,100 has been stolen from inside their home and from one of their cars.
“We never thought this was what was going to happen to us,” she said. “We kind of wanted to exercise the other resorts before thinking that a stranger was coming into our house without us knowing.”
Some nearby residents were concerned to hear of a prowler lurking in the neighborhood.
“I guess I'm not overly surprised but it's obviously a little bit alarming,” said Marc Selznick.
“We've never had a problem like this before and it's distressing to hear about,” added Justesen Trexler.
Other homeowners say they’re going to be more vigilant about locking up in addition to having lights and cameras.
“As soon as you walk up that driveway, all of the lights turn on and so, I think that's enough to spook them away,” said neighbor Dorothy Smith.
The home that was targeted has since installed multiple cameras and upgraded locks to prevent any future crime.
The residents encourage others to do the same.
“Make sure you're getting a deadbolt and not just a keypad because a keypad acts as like a handle if someone just jams their card into it.”
If you see anything suspicious around your home, you are encouraged to call police.
The San Luis Obispo Police Department recommends that residents lock doors and windows both during the day and at night, utilize motion lighting, and install home security cameras.
