Family Foils Burglary

A Columbia family came home to a surprise– a strange man inside their apartment. The stranger, a man described as a thin black man in his 30s, allegedly broke into their apartment by prying open the front door. The suspect then ran away without hurting anyone, according to Sgt. Lance Bolinger of the Columbia Police Department, who was investigating the home break-in with several officers patrolling the wooded areas near Broadway near U.S. 63. The latest burglary on the 2600 block of Jacobs Place is one of dozens that have gone unsolved since the weekend before Thanksgiving.The official holiday crime period was November 16-27 and during the 12-day period, Columbia police reported 24 residential burglaries. The central and northeast part of Columbia were hit the hardest, with each area having seven burglaries. All of them are unsolved. Police say part of the problem is these crimes are reported days later and often have very little suspect information. If you have any information to any of the recent burglaries, call CrimeStoppers at (573) 875-TIPS.