[StBernard] Man In Ski Mask Terrifies St. Bernard Residents

[Westley Annis]

He grabbed my purse and ran out this door right here."

And with him went $3,000 in Payne's Christmas savings.


I'm sorry.  In these days and times I don't know many people who will have
$3,000 in a purse in their house.  Maybe in a safe in their house or
something but not just in a purse.  I assume if it was in her purse she was
intending to travel around with it.  Just not very smart at all.

JY




	
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	Man In Ski Mask Terrifies St. Bernard Residents
	
	POSTED: 4:17 pm CST December 19, 2008
	UPDATED: 4:24 pm CST December 19, 2008
	
	
	VIOLET, La. -- A man in a ski mask is terrifying neighbors in one
St.
	Bernard Parish subdivision, breaking
	 into their houses while they are home.
	
	The burglaries happened in the Angelique subdivision in Violet. Rev.
John
	Bailey said people in his neighborhood are very afraid.
	
	The crime is aggravated burglary and it carries a big penalty -- 30
years in
	jail if caught and convicted.
	
	"I been talking to several people in the community and they are
	terrified,"
	Bailey said. "They are very afraid right now to come outside and
some of
	them (have) been talking about buying guns to protect themselves."
	
	Resident Beverly Payne became a victim of the burglar.
	
	"He was wearing a black hood, just able to see his eyes and his
mouth when
	he talked," Payne said.
	
	She met him hiding in her living room early Thursday. She said her
husband
	left for work about 5 a.m., and the side door was left open. She was
	cleaning the house when she looked up and caught a movement in the
mirror.
	
	"My mind went, 'No, you
	 didn't see that!'" Payne said.
	"When I looked back
	the person jumped out, and I said, 'Oh Lord.' And he said, 'Give me
	your
	purse. Give me your purse.' So I paused. More than likely, I was in
shock.
	He grabbed my purse and ran out this door right here."
	
	And with him went $3,000 in Payne's Christmas savings.
	
	The week before, the prowler tried to break into Bailey's house when
his
	wife was home alone.
	
	"It was a black guy. He had a ski mask over his face so she really
	couldn't
	get a good description of him, and he's been wearing a mask," Bailey
	said.
	
	And on Sunday, another victim fought off the masked intruder as he
tried to
	push open an unlocked door, Sheriff Jack Stephens said.
	
	"The potential for catastrophe is high in this case because if
someone
	knows
	there is an individual in that house, they are well aware a
confrontation
	could result," Stephens said.
	
	Stephens said his
	 office is getting incredible cooperation from victims and
	the community. He expects to clear the case soon.
	
	"I thank God for my life because he spared me," Payne said.
	"Because
	anything could have happened."
	
	Meanwhile, if you have any information about the person committing
the
	burglaries, you're asked to call the sheriff's office at
504-271-2501,
	or
	call CrimeStoppers at 504-822-1111