Atkinson woman pepper sprays intruder Burglar flees empty-handed

From the Eagle Tribune;

Atkinson woman pepper sprays intruder Burglar flees empty-handed
By Meghan Carey
mcarey@eagletribune.com

ATKINSON — A homeowner fended off a burglar with pepper spray early Sunday morning, police said.

Officers were called to the Bryant Woods condominium complex about 1 a.m. for a home invasion, police Chief Philip Consentino said. The male intruder fled on foot before police arrived, he said.

A woman, whom police are not identifying, woke up because she heard a noise downstairs in her home. When she went to check, she found a man, Consentino said.

"She got into a confrontation with this gentleman, (he) grabbed her by the arm and punched her in the face," Consentino said.

The woman asked the man if he wanted money and went for her purse when he said he did, Consentino said.

Instead, the homeowner grabbed a container of pepper spray.

She sprayed the intruder in the face and he ran out of the house — empty-handed, police said.

The woman told police she didn't recognize the intruder. She described him as being between 35 and 45 years old. He was wearing a baseball cap that covered his face, she said.

Officers called in Plaistow police and its K-9 unit for assistance, Consentino said. The dog tried to track the intruder around the neighborhood, but was unsuccessful, he said.

The woman believes the intruder entered her home because she had left the garage door open, he said.

"We really want to emphasize that people need to close their doors and lock them," Consentino said.

The home invasion remains under investigation. Anyone with information is urged to call Detective Phil Farrar at 362-4001.