In a strange incident from New Mexico, US, an armed burglar left $200 (roughly Rs 15,000) for homeowners before fleeing their place. How did this happen? On January 30, the owners of the house returned to their abode to find a man who had broken in through a window. The man, later identified as 34-year-old Teral Christesson had bathed, slept, drunk beer, and eaten at the house before he was caught, according to the Santa Fe New Mexican. He was armed with an AR-15 rifle but did not threaten or steal any belongings from the owners of the house, suggests a statement of probable cause filed in Santa Fe County Magistrate Court.
Instead of causing any violence, the burglar apologised to the owners for breaking in. According to the statement, he said he needed a warm place for the night. He left $200 as “reimbursement for the window he broke”.
According to the Santa Fe New Mexican, the owner of the house estimated the damage to be around $200. The report also stated that the burglar left the house with his rifle and a duffle bag.
Before leaving, he had shared his story with the family. According to the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office police report cited by the Albuquerque Journal, when the owners asked the man why he was in the house, he said that his family had been killed in east Texas, and he was running away from someone. The burglar also said that his car had broken down outside the town.
The next day, the police received a complaint of carjacking by a man whose description resembled that of the burglar. Apparently, he had gone to a woman at a restaurant's drive-thru, asked her to get out of the car and claimed to take the car from her. When the woman started honking, the man ran away.
Police later found the burglar walking by a road in the town and took him into custody. He confessed that he had broken into the house on Sunday to save himself from a blizzard. He had left his money for the house owner because he “felt” bad. But he refused to speak about the carjacking incident.
He was booked into the Santa Fe County jail. Charges of aggravated burglary, larceny, and criminal damage to property were levelled against him. He is also charged with aggravated assault.
