How Did This 12-Year-Old Girl Nab a Burglar With Her Webcam?
- Posted on January 13, 2012 at 7:05am by
Jonathon M. Seidl
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Hallie Pritchard decided recently that she wanted to catch her sneaky sisters stealing things from her. So she decided to do what any savvy 12-year-old in this technological age would do: set up a webcam and let it roll. But when she she looked back at the footage, she got more than she bargained for.
That’s because Pritchard, from California’s Bay area, actually nabbed a burglar:
NBCBayArea.com reports that Pritchard’s camera caught a man snooping through her stuff during an open house.
“All of a sudden she comes running down the stairs screaming oh my god somebody ripped us off so really? We looked at the video it was really shocking,” Hallie’s father Chris Pritchard, told the site.
“I saw my chair move and I said what was that I fast forward back and I saw him come through a hall way came into my room looking through my drawers.” Hallie added.
HuffPo has more on who the burglar turned out to be:
Not long after, authorities identified the suspect as Douglas John Calandrella, a 46-year-old former real estate agent who police arrested approximately two years ago for a similar scheme.
Police say that during his first offense, Calandrella used keys stolen from lock boxes to pilfer more than 50 items, which he promptly listed on eBay, KSDK reports.
Once again, it serves as a reminder to be careful who you let in to your house.
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Comments (52)
tharpdevenport
Posted on January 14, 2012 at 7:30pm12 year olds shouldn’t have laptops, let alone one in the privacy of their own bedroom. There should be a family laptop, out in plain site of everybody.
That being said, now her sisters know to be careful.
Report Post »John Kettlewell
Posted on January 14, 2012 at 8:12amaefd
Report Post »John Kettlewell
Posted on January 14, 2012 at 8:11amread “…during an open house”, and that was all I needed. Too stupid to protect your family’s property (the parents). While I abhor stealing and will beat someone’s ass, I come back to ‘open house’. Atleast the girl learned at a meaningful age about stealing and what people are really like. One more aware American. THAT’S the story.
Report Post »Gumbercules
Posted on January 13, 2012 at 11:30pmQuestion: What is a 12-year-old doing with her own laptop?
Report Post »gingerbread
Posted on January 13, 2012 at 8:45pmIt would have helped her better if she had her two friends with her in the house. Oh those two friends? Smith & Wesson. Othet than that good job, Hallie Pritchard
Report Post »Drakkhanlord
Posted on January 13, 2012 at 4:33pmvideo cams are an excellent way to monitor the outside and inside area’s…
Report Post »Watch the Omega Man …C.Heston…He had a very nice setup.
dontbotherme
Posted on January 13, 2012 at 2:17pmGood for her! We were robbed once many years ago (30 years). To this day I wish we could have caught the creeps.
Report Post »Yeah_Buddy
Posted on January 13, 2012 at 2:24pmI was robbed once by a local long-hair hippie neighbor. Cops did nothing but leave finger print powder all over. Insurance paid at least.
Since then I have owned Rottweillers. Never been robbed again. Good doggy!
Report Post »KAdams
Posted on January 13, 2012 at 1:54pmHow does one, say, ‘fast forward back’? I’m telling you, the sentence structure and grammar of our future generation is atrocious…..
Report Post »freethinking
Posted on January 13, 2012 at 2:15pmIts not much worse than what is posted here, or are you going to blame that on kids too.
Report Post »freethinking
Posted on January 13, 2012 at 2:17pmSorry, I meant sometimes posted here.
Report Post »Phantom II
Posted on January 13, 2012 at 2:22pmMaybe this present generation young lady said it correctly in the next generation’s parlance. She could have coined a phraze for future generations to use. I think I’m going to use it from now on myself. I like it. How would you rephrase, ‘fast forward back’? Fast backward? Rewind ? Replay the vid? Play it again, sam? Is there a high tech way of saying it? Fast forward back it is then.
Report Post »4xeverything
Posted on January 13, 2012 at 5:54pmThat is bad, but I cringe everytime I hear someone say “moving forward”. I mean really, where in the he11 else are you going to move in time. Unless you have a flux capacitor, you are only ever going to move forward!
Report Post »xpilotah1s
Posted on January 13, 2012 at 1:48pmWe need to setup these things in the White House and in all Goverment Facilities to stream real time the BS going down by our leaders.
Report Post »912er
Posted on January 13, 2012 at 12:17pmHow long before the ACLU is defending this guy because she filmed him without his knowledge…?
Report Post »Jim in Houston
Posted on January 13, 2012 at 12:30pmProbably already have.
Report Post »jb.kibs
Posted on January 13, 2012 at 12:48pmthat doesn’t work in a private home. that only works in their private location.
no one can say anything about being filmed in public place or in someone elses private home or business. you can only refused to be filmed in your own private place.
if you could refuse this, NO business would have cameras in them and google earth would be sued and disbanned, etc…
Report Post »HoggKilla
Posted on January 13, 2012 at 1:54pm@ JB.KIBS – Thank you for that information. We did not know…. JB.KIBS its called sarcasm. And yes the ACLU would go after the home owner only if the perp was an Atheist.
Report Post »miboso
Posted on January 15, 2012 at 4:56pmFilm? Film you say? Please come into the 21st century and quit saying film unless there is actually film involved. I know it’s a small thing, but it’s in the same category as “fast forward back”
Report Post »piper60
Posted on January 13, 2012 at 11:18amShe has my vote.
Report Post »conservativewoman
Posted on January 13, 2012 at 11:16amMy daughter is also tech savvy. It’s kind of humorous to see her sell, set up, and repair computers and other gadgets for doctors and lawyers, when she doesn’t even have her B.A. yet.
She is taking a class right now on how to hack, so she can work for a big company securing their websites. A classmate of hers was hired starting at $50,000 a year.
Encourage your kids to know technology! There is money and safety in it!
Report Post »greezy1
Posted on January 13, 2012 at 11:15amRealtors rarely protect your belongings when their showing your home…..especially during an open house when only trying to market themselves.
Report Post »Krutch
Posted on January 13, 2012 at 11:06amGeez…Are no ‘work places’ safe anymore? The gov. will have to do something about private citizens taking videos of people ‘at work’. Maybe another five day waiting period on….
The thief is lucky he was not in the sights of a gun!
Report Post »crackerone
Posted on January 13, 2012 at 10:41amI posted a story from yesterday‘s Drude Report about a federal government plan to entice employer’s to hire ex-convicts, by offering a $20,000 incentive. Seeing how this is a second-time offender, it is relevent to this story, from my prospective. By the Blaze removing the post, I’ll ask them the same question I asked you, smoke crack much?
Report Post »crackerone
Posted on January 13, 2012 at 11:01amThanks for clearing that up Blaze moderator’s. Sometimes I will post something, and wish I didn’t post it, and if it’s over the top, it will be removed. This was not one of them. I don’t know why this Prince Charles guy called it spam, but none the less, thanks for fixing. Now I will go read the story about the guy losing his head in a wood chipper.
Report Post »KAdams
Posted on January 13, 2012 at 1:57pmThey rarely moderate…. the problem is in the delay in time it takes for you to hit enter, and then see your message posted on the site. The Blaze web servers must be smoking the crack.
Report Post »crackerone
Posted on January 13, 2012 at 2:51pm@ Kadams
I cut and pasted an article from yesterdays Drudge Report, that was up for 1/2 an hour. This Prince Charles clown posted underneath, that I was spamming, I had been reported, and that he would have me barred from the Blaze. 5 mins later my post was removed.
Report Post »crackerone
Posted on January 13, 2012 at 10:07am@ Charles
Smoke crack much?
Report Post »NOTvotingforRomney
Posted on January 13, 2012 at 9:55amShame on this young girl for using technology for catching people who break the law or exposing flaws.
I hope liberals don‘t see this or she will be O’Keefe style arrested.
Report Post »LovingAmerica
Posted on January 13, 2012 at 9:53amAs there were not cameras set up in every room, it makes you wonder what else he stole. He should have to hand the little girl back the change he took from her desk and apologize.
Report Post »KAdams
Posted on January 13, 2012 at 1:57pmWhy does a 12-yr old have a web cam?
Report Post »dontbotherme
Posted on January 13, 2012 at 2:19pmKadams: It’s a good thing she had the camera, isn’t it now?
Report Post »recoveringneocon
Posted on January 13, 2012 at 8:24amNever have an Open House. peroid. Nothing good ever comes from them.
Report Post »Docroxall
Posted on January 13, 2012 at 8:06amBought my house, and BEFORE we moved in, I went to Lowes, and replaced EVERY lock, door knob with a keylock, throughout the house! Also PROMPTLY changed the garage door code.
Report Post »SuperSuineg
Posted on January 13, 2012 at 9:06amyou should do the same with a car too
Report Post »SpankDaMonkey
Posted on January 13, 2012 at 7:53am.
Report Post »Cut a Hand off and let him go…………
crackerone
Posted on January 13, 2012 at 8:10am2nd offense. Make it two!
Report Post »KAdams
Posted on January 13, 2012 at 2:01pmBranding on the forehead.
Report Post »t00nces2
Posted on January 13, 2012 at 7:33amJust how down and out and totally trash does a grow man have to be to steal items from a twelve year old girl? Surprised we didn’t see him sniffing her underwear.
Report Post »LANE131
Posted on January 13, 2012 at 8:32pmOPEN HOUSE??? This proves that buying and selling of houses are too dangerous, The government must ban this practise, and save us for our own good, the government could seize all houses, take ownership, decide who lives where, and we could pay rent to the government. But government leaders
Report Post »democrats only, and their cronies, and few elites, will still be allowed to own their own houses. Yes that what needs to be done.
Baddoggy
Posted on January 13, 2012 at 7:27amHe was previously convicted of stealing like this. Don’t companies do background checks anymore? He lives in California and that is strike three…we hope!
Report Post »commonsenseguy
Posted on January 13, 2012 at 7:36amhey these are the same Poole that obama has said he wanted employers to hire,no matter their record,can wait until they try to fire them for stealing, butt hey better get use to it,it is the future under “‘ the new world order “‘
Report Post »commonsenseguy
Posted on January 13, 2012 at 7:38ammy bad,should read ““ people”” but when the gen pool is the same,they just keep turning out criminals,
Report Post »Brooke Lorren
Posted on January 13, 2012 at 2:18pmI don’t think he worked for them; he was posing as a potential buyer. He used to work as a Real Estate Agent. The Real Estate agent was able to identify them.
Report Post »kickagrandma
Posted on January 13, 2012 at 7:17amWe’re missing Christmas tree decorations. Maybe we should check on ebay?
Good for that young girl. Nice going, modern day Nancy Drew!
Report Post »Porkchop_sw
Posted on January 13, 2012 at 11:48amWait, you cant say Christmas anymore! The holiday police will come get you!!
Report Post »Marcia
Posted on January 13, 2012 at 7:16amYou are a fool if you don’t immediately change ALL the locks when you buy a house! Even new construction – protect yourself and your family, for heaven’s sake! I’m glad this family is safe, hopefully they learned a very good lesson about home security.
Report Post »crackerone
Posted on January 13, 2012 at 8:17amMarcia. It was an open house where potential buyers come in and look at your house. I’d make sure, if they didn’t come in with a real estate agent, that your potenial buyer shows I.D.
Report Post »SeekerEmerald
Posted on January 13, 2012 at 10:08am$50 locks are home depot and lowe’s are easily picked with $100 in tools.
Go to a locksmith store, and get the good stuff. It will cost you $300 to $500 for a lock, but the skill needed to pick them is so far beyond the common criminal that we can say they are unpickable.
Don’t forget the insurance as there is no such thing as a truly impenetrable home.
Then again, the lock won’t protect you against a home invasion. That’s where the Glock .40 arrives on the scene.
You’ll never be crime proof, but it does not take much to make yourself (or your home) a less attractive target. The common thief is easily persuaded to simply move on to the next house. He doesn’t care WHOSE big screen TV he steals, after all…
Report Post »13
Posted on January 13, 2012 at 2:54pmGood idea to change locks. Many times the thieves are family members or friends of family members.Last winter we replaced a steel front door that had the bottom hinge kicked loose and was bent upward enough to crawl under. Deadbolt held. 2 homes next to each other robbed in the middle of the day in exactly the same way at the only time both were gone, only jewelry was stolen, thieves knew exactly where the jewelry was. It happened in a 45 minute window. Keep an eye on your kids friends too.
Report Post »Drakkhanlord
Posted on January 13, 2012 at 4:30pmi prefer the bolted angle’s and the steel bars…
Anydoor that is not reinforced with some kind of back stop can be opened.
Akita’s and 12 guage for home enforcement.
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