A 91-year-old widow was alone at home when she sensed danger — two thieves were attempting to rob her house. However, the older woman outwitted the thieves by devising a trap for them.
When her husband Vernon died, 91-year-old Dolores felt unsafe in her home. Vernon owned a small antique shop and kept some valuable items at home, which made people talk and led to several robbery attempts.
One evening, Dolores was returning home from the shop when she noticed her 31-year-old neighbor, Bob, peering into her house through the bushes. When he saw Dolores approaching, he quickened his pace and walked away.
However, the next day, she caught him staring at her from his bedroom window.
The elderly lady was creeped out, so she went inside and shut the door to her balcony. Later, when she looked out the window to see if Bob was still on the windowsill, she noticed he had vanished.
Since that day, Dolores had a sneaking suspicion that something wasn’t quite right. She decided she had to devise a strategy to protect herself before it was too late.
First, she installed cameras on her property and changed the locks.
At first, she thought it was all for nothing, as no one showed up at her house for a while. But one night, she was awakened by a loud noise in her backyard.
She quietly grabbed a pan and slowly stepped outside. She spotted Bob and another man leaping over the backyard fence and fleeing.
“I will call the cops if you don’t leave! What the hell are you doing here?” Dolores discovered several beer bottles lying in the bush.
Dolores couldn’t sleep because she was scared Bob might try to hurt her. She knew it was dangerous but had no proof to go to the police. So, she got new locks and cameras to protect herself and watch her house closely.
However, a loud noise from the backyard startled her awake around midnight. She checked out the cameras, but the backyard cameras were broken.
Dolores peeked through the kitchen window and spotted two masked figures sneaking around her backyard. Staying calm, she called 911 and reported the break-in. The dispatcher told her to stay safe and help was on the way.
Thinking fast, Dolores grabbed her late husband’s portrait and spoke loudly, pretending to talk to him. “Oh, Vernon! I haven’t touched the antiques in the garage—your grandfather’s gold watch, the silver flute… They’re worth thousands!”
Moments later, her garage camera cut out. One of them had smashed it. Dolores knew—they were after the antiques. It was time to act.
Dolores grabbed Vernon’s baseball bat, gas spray, and a lock, then quietly headed to the garage. Spotting two men, she sprayed their faces and pulled the shutters down before they could escape. She tried locking them in, but they kept pushing the shutters.
Luckily, the police arrived just in time. They helped Dolores and arrested the thieves. When Officer Robinson removed the masks, Dolores recognized one of them—Bob. “I knew it!” she said.
Dolores explained to the officer that Bob lived nearby and she’d seen him lurking days earlier. Robinson praised her quick thinking and bravery but warned her it was dangerous to live alone.
She later told her son Todd, who urged her to move in with him. But Dolores couldn’t leave her home full of memories. So instead, Todd moved his family to her town.
Now, Dolores and her daughter-in-law, Claire, run Vernon’s old shop together—renamed Dolores and Vernon’s Treasure House.
