Burglars can't keep a homeowner down

URBANA, Ohio (WDTN) - An Urbana woman needs your help to bust some burglars.

"It was devastating enough for our grandson to have to experience this, but I'm just grateful that they did not come back an earlier, because that would not have been good," said Brenda Fagan.

Brenda Fagan still shudders at the thought at what might have happened had her husband and her 10 year old grandson caught burglars in the act of ransacking her Urbana home.

It happened November 29th. Brenda was at work. Her husband and her grandson ran errands.

Detectives say that's when two men and a woman broke the window to a door, opened the deadbolt and stole TVs, computers and credit cards the Fagan's had under lock and key.

"They took a locked, fireproof security box that had of our important papers, social security number, passports, marriage license, some other things that can't be replaced that were very special to me," said Fagan.

With the credit cards in hand, investigators say the thieves drove to Columbus where they bought gas and food.

Pictures from store and restaurant surveillance cameras show the suspects in the midst of a $500.00 spending spree.

Thankfully, the credit card company noticed unusual activity on the Fagan's card and alerted them, but the damage was already done.

"It's hard to describe the feeling that you have that a stranger had come in and actually touched all your things. For a week after, I couldn't push back the TV stand because I knew they had touched it."

Fagan probably won't get her belongings back, but she isn't suffering in silence.

She has this message for the burglars who turned her life upside down.

"I hope you are caught. That's what we want because I assume if they've done it to us, they've done it to people before us and probably being done to people after us and we don't want that to happen."

If you have any information about these burglary suspects, call the Champaign County Sheriff's office at 484-6091.

The Fagan's also want you to know they learned a valuable lesson about using lockboxes.

While they may shield your important papers from a fire, they won't deter burglars unless you bolt them down or conceal them.