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SLO woman wakes up to intruder, second time in less than two years

At about 4:40 a.m., Katya Vreeland woke up to an intruder standing at her bedroom door while her husband was at work.
Posted at 10:44 PM, Oct 18, 2019
and last updated 2019-10-19 01:51:27-04

A woman in Railroad Square has been the victim of two home invasions in less than two years.

On September 20 at about 4:40 a.m., Katya Vreeland woke up to an intruder standing at her bedroom door while her husband was at work.

Vreeland yelled “get out” and the intruder ran off. Vreeland’s brother was home at the time and tried to chase the intruder, but was unsuccessful.

She says the incident has made her more aware of her surroundings.

"I definitely wake up in the middle of the night at times and I'll do laps through the house to make sure everything is secure. Look out the blinds, just kind of double checking myself more,” said Vreeland.

The intruder came in through a window that was left cracked open for Vreeland’s cat. The intruder was able to make it out with both her and her brother’s spare car keys.

Vreeland says she worries about the neighborhood’s safety because this is the second intruder in her house in less than two years.

The previous incident end with a man being arrested before he could get away with any of her belongings.

The San Luis Obispo Police Department says there are a few extra steps residents can take to decrease the chances of incidents like these from happening in their homes.

"Motion lighting that illuminates an area. People that are doing those kinds of things usually don't like any kind of lights because they can be spotted," said Jeff Booth, a patrol sargant with the San Luis Obispo Police Department.

Officers say there are still no suspects in the case.