Apologetic man leaves couple $200 after breaking into their New Mexico home, cops say
A 34-year-old man is accused of breaking into a New Mexico home and leaving $200 for the homeowners when they caught him, police said.
When a couple returned to their Santa Fe home on Jan. 30, they noticed beer bottles in the trash and dishes in the sink, along with the stench of rotting food, the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office said in an incident report.
The wife heard someone in the home and had her husband look around, the sheriff’s office said. In the guestroom, the husband found the burglary suspect, who had an AR rifle and duffel bag, deputies said.
He told the husband he was in their home because “his family was killed in east Texas and he was running from somebody,” authorities said.
He also said his car was 100 miles out of the town after it broke down, deputies said.
When the man walked out of the home, deputies said he left $200 on a foot rest and apologized for breaking their window.
The couple told deputies the man had not taken anything from their home except two beers and some shrimp. The wife left jewelry next to the sink, but it hadn’t been touched, deputies said.
Deputies arrested the man the next day in the same area as the home. He was booked into the Santa Fe County Adult Detention Facility on charges of aggravated burglary, larceny and criminal damage to property.
This story was originally published February 4, 2022 at 1:17 PM with the headline "Apologetic man leaves couple $200 after breaking into their New Mexico home, cops say."
