Crime & Safety

Woman Screams After Waking to Intruder in Cowboy Hat

A woman in an apartment in unincorporated Des Plaines found a male intruder in her bedroom Sunday morning, the Cook County Sheriff's Office stated.

Screams echoed from a Des Plaines apartment bedroom when a woman awoke and saw a male intruder early Sunday morning, the Cook County Sheriff’s Office stated on Monday.

The woman’s roommate, who lives on the 9000 block of Kennedy Drive in unincorporated Des Plaines, called 9-1-1 immediately, police stated, after hearing the woman scream when she discovered the intruder at approximately 4:45 a.m. on March 31.

The intruder, described as a white male subject, clean-shaven, 30-40 years old, 5-foot 10-inches tall, wearing a white cowboy hat, a white jacket and white shoes, fled the apartment through the front door, the Cook County Sheriff’s Office stated, after the woman screamed.

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The man likely entered the apartment through a window, police stated, and Cook County Sheriff Thomas Dart reminded the public to keep windows and doors locked in the statement.

Police searched the area, the Cook County Sheriff’s Office stated, but did not locate any suspects. 

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No injuries were reported, and Cook County Sheriff Thomas Dart stated the women did the right thing by quickly calling 9-1-1.

Other safety tips from the Cook County Sheriff’s Office are:

  • Keep a charged cell phone near you in case of an emergency.
  • If there is no alarm system in your residence, keep an air horn to startle the invader and give you enough time to get a safe place.

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