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‘I don’t feel safe in my home’ — Holland Twp. apartment broken into while residents sleep

Posted at 9:40 PM, Aug 23, 2017
and last updated 2017-08-23 21:41:58-04

HOLLAND TOWNSHIP, Mich. -- A family in Ottawa County is on edge after they say someone broke into their home while they were sleeping. It happened around 5 a.m. Tuesday morning at the Cascade Apartments in Holland Township.

Mariana Sanchez, 15,  lives there with her grandmother and says the suspect broke in through her bedroom window.  She says she no longer feels safe in her own home, especially because she is almost eight months pregnant.

"Honestly I don't feel safe in my own home," said Sanchez.

Sanchez and her grandmother were asleep inside the apartment at the time of the break-in.

"I looked at the front door after getting some food and there was mud all over the floor," said Sanchez. "There was mud by the door and the door was unlocked, so I went to my grandma's room and asked her if she left the door unlocked possibly for my brother and she said no. She didn't leave the door unlocked."

Sanchez says the suspect broke in through her bedroom window by cutting through the screen.

"They found the window slit into an L shape and the window was all the way up and the wind was blowing the curtains," said Sanchez. "There was mud tracked all over my room."

Sanchez says whoever broke in knew what they were looking for because they only took her computer and avoided other high-priced items.

"There was a Kindle Fire right by the computer and it was not stolen," said Sanchez. "I had an Xbox One in my room and it was not stolen. They easily could've taken my TV out of the room and out the window, but none of that was stolen."

Sanchez says the person tracked mud all over the apartment and left out the front door. Her neighbor described seeing a man leaving, but didn't think anything of it at the time.

As for Sanchez and her grandmother, they say they feel violated.

"Because I'm pregnant, I don't feel safe in my home anymore," said Sanchez. "I honestly don't."

No one was hurt during the break in, but the family says they're considering getting a dog as a precaution.

Police say this is still an active investigation and anyone with any information is asked to call the Ottawa County Sheriff's Office or Silent Observer at 1-877-88-SILENT.