October 1, 2009: I get burgled.

Update: Three weeks later I learn from the Denver Police detective working on my case that the burglar had been caught "red-handed" (as they say) doing another job in the neighborhood. Evidently a woman had come home to find a door compromised, and called the cops. She subsequently startles the burglar, and they were arriving just as he exited her front door... down the street and into arriving patrol cars.

A friend who lives about four blocks away from me told me that he was also burglarized three weeks after me. We compared notes, and figure that it's the same guy. Notes: He carried no burglary tools, appearing to prefer hardware found on the premises to compromise doors. In my case, it was grass clippers, in my friends, it was a crowbar from the garage. He avoids big-ticket items, prefers game consoles & games, cash, laptops, etc.

Thanks to these pictures, the Denver District Attorney has decided that they'll charge him with my crime, in addition to the woman's burglary (that's two charges each of burglary and robbery, enough for $40,000 in bail). The detective said, after seeing my pics, that there's no doubt that he's the same guy who burgled me. He believes that he was responsible for "eight or nine" other recent crimes in the neighborhood.

Anyway - for my protection from these rogues I now have a 9mm gun (nothing's quite like a gun to check your sanity), and have a $5,000 security door installed.

UPDATE: Dude's name is Raymond Angelo. He was sentenced to 16 years in Colorado state prison (12 years for the crime against me) and is due for release from Crowley County Correctional Facility in 2025. He will be 62.

Peace.