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Sampson Co. woman whose home has been broken into nine times catches suspects in act

A Sampson County woman said her security camera caught two thieves in the act as they broke into her home.

Posted Updated

By
Gilbert Baez
, WRAL reporter
FAISON, N.C. — A Sampson County woman said her security camera caught two thieves in the act as they broke into her home.

It happened Monday afternoon at a home on Giddensville Road in Faison. The homeowner said her house has been broken into nine times since 2002. With the aid of a camera installed in her home, this time she was able to see it all happen, including catching one of the bandits who was armed with a handgun.

The break-in happened Monday afternoon. What's left is a board on a window where the crooks gained entry into the home.

Ann Peterson couldn't believe her eyes when her cell phone alert went off. It said "Your kitchen camera noticed some activity." She said she saw two men who had broken into her home. She said the crooks broke the back window out with a brick. They then moved and used the dog house to climb in.

Pictures from the camera show the men walking through the house. One of them had a gun. She said she rushed home from work and bumped into one of them in the back driveway. One suspect dropped a bag with a camera when he came face-to-face with Peterson.

"I didn't know that it was two until I saw the guy come around the driveway," Peterson said. "And ... I didn't see the gun in the picture until after I checked the rest of the pictures when it was all over with. ... I'm glad my daughter was not home."

In fact, her 16-year-old daughter, Skyler Hinson, had just left for work a couple of hours before the break-in.

"I ws just worried about my family and everything because objects can be replaced but people and dogs can't be replaced," Hinson said.

Sampson County deputies were on the scene in about 10 minutes after they got the call. They put up a drone and checked the nearby woods but the suspects got away.

Authorities are asking anyone with information to get in touch with them. Sampson County Sheriff Jimmy Thornton said Crime Stoppers is offering a reward of up to $1,000 for information leading to an arrest in the case. He's also warning residents to stay sharp and don't make it easy for criminals by posting about trips out of town to social media.

"They just need to be attunded to what's going on around them," Thornton said. "They don't need to be complacent. They need to know that it's summertime, people are on vacation, which makes their homes and property easy pray."

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