It all started with a buzz. Jennifer Kratochvil was driving home with her daughter when she got a text alert on her smart phone. The moment her home security alarm was triggered is when cameras started rolling.
She was able to watch on her phone, in real time, a man she didn't know roaming around her house. "We thought it was a false a alarm but it wasn't," she said.
Kratochvil says she had a gut feeling to buy a security camera two weeks ago to add to her home security. She hasn't even gotten her first bill yet, but she says she's already gotten her money's worth.
The security camera captured tall man with dread locks walking around the house. Kratochvil is unsure how the man broke in but the video clearly shows him walking towards the back door to lock it.
"When we were on the phone with 911, they wanted to know if he was still in the house and if he was armed."
Kratochvil says she didn't notice the man holding a weapon but did notice how quickly he made himself at home. "I could see him taking off his shoes," she said. "Turning on a few lights, walking into the kitchen, opening the refrigerator, opening the freezer, and then he goes and sits down on the couch and starts watching television."
When officers arrived, they found the man unarmed just sitting on the couch watching TV. Kratochvil says the man didn't take anything but did break a cable box outside her home.
"I think he tried to disconnect the alarm," she said. "Why he did it? That's still the million dollar question."
Kratochvil says she's confident her home wasn't targeted after learning from officers the man who broke in is mentally ill.
"He's done this kind of thing in the past and he's been involved in mental health court," she said. "I feel bad for the guy. I don't even know if he would be able to find the house again if he tried to come back."
Kratochvil plans to add a few more cameras throughout the house. The man who broke in remains in jail and Kratochvil says there has been a no-contact order issued just to be safe.
