SMASH. ED & LH

This was no ordinary window. The glass was thick and double-paned. The window located in the rear of Sandra Leaverton’s Ridgecrest neighborhood home seemed like a strange target for a vandal.

The Victim: Sandra Leaverton

The Crime: Criminal mischief

Date/Time: Between 12 a.m. Aug. 28 and 7:30 p.m. Aug. 31

Location: 9800 block of Ridgehaven

Leaverton had been out of town attending a wedding in Albuquerque. It was a nice getaway for a couple of days, with great weather compared to the Texas heat, and nice mountainous views.

The view of her smashed window when she got home was a bit different.

“The hole in this window was about 2 1/2 feet by 2 1/2 feet,” she says. “I was flabbergasted.”

The homeowner is not sure why anyone would smash her window but was at least grateful a burglar did not get into the house.

However, a replacement will cost $1,400 and be quite a hassle.

Officer Josh Cooper of the Northeast Patrol Division says that there has been an increase in juvenile property crime during the summer months and that this might fit in with that type of crime.

“Rocks are typical in a lot of cases,” he says of the smashed windows.

Sean Chaffin is a freelance writer and author of “Raising the Stakes”, obtainable at raisingthestakesbook.com. If you have been a recent crime victim, email crime@advocatemag.com.