Trish Bennett, Editor
CIRCLEVILLE – A local woman reportedly cited her heroin addiction as the reason for burglarizing her ex-husband’s home Tuesday while their 13-year-old son was home alone inside.
April L. Brown, 41, of East Franklin Street, was arrested after the teen reported a burglary in progress at his home on Shoshoni Drive.
According to reports, the boy called the Pickaway County Sheriff’s Office about 6:08 p.m. to report he could hear an unknown subject walking around inside his house and in his father’s bedroom. Dispatchers told the boy to hide in his room and wait until officers arrived.
Corporal Erick Eberhard arrived on the scene within two minutes of the call, but he found both the front door and the back yard fence locked and could not gain entry, according to the incident report.
He did make contact with the teen through his bedroom window, though, and instructed him to climb outside. Eberhard then entered the house through the same window to search the residence.
Finding no one inside, Eberhard then moved to the back yard, where he reportedly found Brown hiding behind a shed with an empty plastic container and a large cloth bag filled with coins.
Eberhard said the boy identified Brown as his mother but advised she was not allowed to be at the residence. He also advised he had locked himself in his bedroom closet with a large kitchen knife while waiting for deputies to arrive, and that he feared for his safety and would have used the knife for protection if he had to.
When questioned, Brown allegedly stated she needed the money for heroin and repeated several times that the “addict in her” made her enter the home and steal the change, but she did not want to hurt her son.
Brown is charged with burglary and theft and currently remains in the Pickaway County Jail.
Sheriff Robert Radcliff said he was pleased deputies were able to respond so quickly and make an apprehension, and that everyone was safe in the end.
He said it is also important for parents to talk with their kids and have a plan of action in case something happens when they are home alone.
“This isn’t the first time this has happened over the years,” Radcliff said. “It’s important that kids like this one know what to do, that they know to call 911 and they have a place they know they can hide. It’s sad, but families really need to have a safety plan in place because these things do happen.”
This article originally appeared on The Pickaway News Journal
