East Charlotte burglar may be getting into homes through windows

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Police are looking for a brazen burglar who is targeting homes in east Charlotte.

Detectives said five break-ins happened between 4 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. Monday, and that all of the homes are within a half-mile of each other, near Eastway Drive.

[ALSO READ: Staff of east Charlotte salon staying vigilant following armed robbery]

>> In the video at the top of this webpage, CMPD officials in the Eastway Division discuss why they think the same suspect broke into several homes within hours of each other.

In four of the cases, people were inside the home at the time of the crimes, police said.

Channel 9 spoke to a man who lives on Finchley Drive, where two of the crimes happened. He didn't want to be identified but said he woke up to a find stranger standing next to his bed.

"He had on a black skinhat and he was dressed in all black,” the man said. “I started yelling. He got up and ran and ran out the back door."

Details about Monday's cases:

• A female victim found her bathroom window open, but it appears the residence had not been entered. A bucket was located underneath the window making it look like someone tried to enter the home. No property was taken.
• The victim was encountered by the suspect in his bedroom. The victim yelled at the suspect and he ran out the back door. The victim found his bathroom window open with two cinderblocks stacked underneath. No property was taken.
• A woman woke up to her alarm clock and found the suspect in her bedroom. She screamed, and the man fled through a back door. The unlocked bathroom window may have been used to get inside her home. Personal property was taken.
• A woman returned home and it was in disarray. It appeared the suspect used forced open a window to gain entry
• A woman victim said someone entered her home through a window while she was at home. The suspect something to pry open the window and left through the back door with the victim's property.

Police said they don't know if the burglar is armed because he hasn't confronted any of the victims but said he has stolen things from the homes he’s broken into.

Investigators believe the suspect is getting homes through unlocked windows and are urging neighbors to make sure their doors and windows are locked.

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Cox Media Group