MASON CITY – What would you do if two men – strangers – simply walked into your home?
This happened over the weekend to a Mason City family, police confirmed today.
According to a Mason City woman, on Sunday afternoon, May 17, “two men walked into our house without a knock or holler to see if anyone was home. My husband asked them to leave and they said they used to live in the house and just wanted to relive memories (walking further into our home) he told them they still needed to leave. After awhile they left the house. He called the police and filled out a report.
Police told NIT that the incident was reported to police at 4:33 PM on May 17, 2015 in the 1600 block of South Wilson. The reporting party said two strangers in their 30s had entered the house uninvited and unannounced approx 15 minutes prior to the time the report was called in.
“It does not sound like the two men were in the house a long time before they left,” police explained.
“This appears to be the only documented report from this weekend,” a police spokesman said. “I cannot advise whether it was a honest mistake or not.”
As the woman had described her story via social media, some folks offered their take on how they would handle the situation.
One man said “arm yourself.”
A woman said “you need a Rottweiler.”
Another man said “I have a pit bull if that don’t stop em my 357 will.”
Another man claimed “I’ll slit there throats I sharpen my own knifes (sic)”.
Police offered advice on what action to take.
“If this happens, people should tell the strangers to leave. Do not permit them to wander around your house. If the person will not leave and you are able, exit the house and call 911 or go to a neighbor’s house and have them call 911. Then if possible, try to get a license plate and vehicle description or snap a photo of the car, suspect, license plate with a cell phone camera. Last, report any suspicious activity immediately. The greater the time delay, the lower our chances are of locating suspects with little identifying information to go on.
“It is not wise to allow strangers into your home. Strangers could include door to door salespeople, people asking to use your bathroom or phone, or people asking for money. In the past, people have been taken advantage of by unsolicited antique collectors, home repair scams (primarily roofing and asphalt salespeople), medication and valuables thefts by people asking to use a resident’s phone or bathroom. We have also had some issues with unpermitted door to door magazine salespeople soliciting donations / people paying for alleged magazine subscriptions with cash. Again, if you think something is fishy, call us immediately to respond and verify whether they are permitted to sell in the City. If the person is legit, they will probably not balk at the scrutiny. If the person turns and makes a hasty retreat, it is more important that police are called immediately to prevent others from being victimized.”
What would you do in this situation? Follow police advice… or something else?
