Burglars invade Pocatello home while family is inside
A family in Pocatello has plans to upgrade their security system in their home after two burglars broke into their home early Wednesday morning, while the family was inside.
“I think the biggest thing is you don’t ever expect somebody to be in your home,” said Megan Schiffman, who owns the home that was broken into.
Megan and Randy Schiffman certianly didn’t expect anyone to get into their home. But around 1 a.m. Wednesday, two people broke into the house while Megan and her three young kids were at home.
Their point of entry was the front door.
“We think they might have just fidgeted with the code on the front door, which our buttons are worn through and dirty. You can see what we use the most,” said Megan Schiffman.
She was upstairs with her two daughters while her son was downstairs asleep in his room, which the intruders closed the door to. After she heard some rustling and some drawers opening, she grabbed her husband’s gun and headed downstairs.
“Halfway down one of them came through the doorway of our kitchen and it was so dark you could just kinda see a silhouette of a man,” Megan said. “He shined his super bright flashlight in my face. Adrenaline started running and then I slipped on our steps right here, ended up firing the gun on my leg and then it hit the tile and then hit the wall over there.”
The accidental gunfire was enough to scare off the intruders.
The family says they’re still a little rattled.
“It just takes away your piece of mind,” said Randy Schiffman. “It makes you feel violated. Somebody came into our space uninvited, while I wasn’t home. Just makes you uneasy.”
Their advice to others is to always be prepared and take the time to check everything.
“I just urge people to look around their home for safety,” said Megan. “Is our door locked at night? You know, our kids could have gone behind us and unlocked it so just always double check it every time. Look at your vehicles if you get up in the night, make sure nobody’s rummaging through that. So just really take every precaution.”
The Schiffmans said all that was taken was some medications from the cupboards.
Pocatello police have confirmed that there is an active investigation on a home invasion, but they’re not saying or confirming anything else at this point.
Some advice police gave to the family to help prevent burglaries is to get floodlights so your house doesn’t look so dark. They also recommend things like window alarms and security cameras. They also say if you have a door code like the Schiffmans, change your code often.
