By Associated Press
SANTA FE, N.M. — The owners of a New Mexico home were doubly surprised over the weekend to find a burglar in their house with an AR-15, and then to have him apologize, give them money and leave embarrassed.
The man had slept, bathed, dined and had some beer at the home on the outskirts of Santa Fe before the owners returned and discovered him, according to a Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office police report cited by the Albuquerque Journal.
He had an AR-15 scoped rifle but didn’t threaten them, or take any of their jewelry or other belongings.
Instead, he gave the homeowners $200 as “reimbursement for the window he broke,” the report said.
The suspect — about 6 feet (1.8 meters) tall and in his late 20s — also shared a bit of his story, telling the owners he was running from someone and that his family had been killed in east Texas, according to the report. He said his car had broken down outside Santa Fe.
The homeowners told authorities the man was “extremely embarrassed and apologetic about the situation,” the report states.
The suspect left the home with his duffel bag and gun, walking down a ditch. His alleged larcenies totaled $15, the report said.
Sheriff’s deputies came to the home and searched the ditch but didn’t find anyone.