CALIFORNIA COMPUTERS STOLEN http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2012/apr/03/dog-killed-north-county-burglary-series/

Family's dog killed in North County burglary

ESCONDIDO — A family’s pet Chihuahua named Peanut was killed Monday by thieves who broke into a house southeast of Escondido in what authorities are saying is part of a series of burglaries.

Deputies went to the home on Summit Ridge Drive in an unincorporated area of Escondido about 3 p.m., after finding two safes taken from there abandoned in a vacant lot, sheriff’s Sgt. Dan Deese said.

They arrived a couple of minutes after Zoe Ketcham got home to find her house burglarized.

The thieves broke in by shooting out a back window with a BB gun, Deese said. They stole computers, electronics and the safes.

One safe contained paperwork and the other held an antique Bearcat pistol and a 67-year-old Benjamin brass-barrel pellet gun, said Rocky Ketcham, who shares the home with his wife and two daughters, ages 23 and 16. A Winchester Rifle also was taken, Ketcham said.

“They used our pillowcases to carry some of our stuff,” he said, adding that the thieves likely needed a couple of trips in and out to carry all of the stolen goods.

Their dog, Peanut, was found in a bathroom, likely shot with a BB gun, Ketcham said. A necropsy is being conducted. The dog was 14 and in good health, he said.

“He suffered,” Ketcham said. “He bled all over the house.”

The family’s other dog, a Dachshund, was found locked in a bedroom. Ketcham said he didn’t know why Peanut wasn’t spared, adding that the Chihuahua was probably nipping at the burglars’ heels.

Ketcham said he stayed up until midnight Monday cleaning the carpets. He said the family was so shaken that no one wanted to sleep alone in their bedrooms, so they dragged mattresses into the living room and slept there.

“I want these people caught,” Ketcham said.

Several similar burglaries have occurred in the area east of Interstate 15 and in eastern Escondido during the past five to six weeks, Deese said.

The burglars strike during the day when the homes are unoccupied and enter through an unlocked window or break a window, Deese said. The items taken often are small electronics like laptops or iPads and jewelry.

Deese said residents should call and report anything suspicious in their neighborhoods, including cars driving slowly down the street or people going door to door.

He said it is a common ruse for burglars to knock on a front door and then pretend they are looking for someone if the residents answer.

Investigators have no description of the thieves or the vehicle used in the crimes. Anyone with information about the burglaries is asked to call the Sheriff’s Department at             (760) 510-5200      .