West Des Moines Mother Hid in Bedroom With Ball Bat as Intruder Broke into Home

Muddy footprints found at two houses suggest that a pair of March 8 home burglaries may be related, according to West Des Moines Police reports.

In one of the cases, the mother of two children, ages 3 years and 1 month, hid in a bedroom with a ball bat after an intruder broke into her home.

The 29-year-old woman, who lives in the 900 block of 30th Street, called police when a man she did not know began knocking at the door. She was involved in other tasks and chose not to answer it, but when the knocking became more persistent, she retreated with her children to a bedroom and armed herself with the bat until the man left.

She saw the suspect running along Ashworth Drive wearing a black or navy blue hoodie sweatshirt and khaki Carhart-type pants, according to the police report.

Police said a muddy shoe print visible on the front door was possibly left by the same person who broke into a home of a 65-year-old woman in the 2800 block of Woodland Avenue the same day.

The woman came home to find her house had been burglarized. Among the items taken was a strand of 88 Japanese pearls valued at $800, computer equipment valued at $500, costume jewelry valued at $100, and about $50 in currency and coins.

The thief kicked in the door, causing damage estimated at $400.

Officer Blaine Brinkmeyer said in his report that several muddy shoe prints were visible on the white tile floor, as well as on the door.