Burglar steals more than possessions

No one can imagine the feelings and emotions they will experience after someone has broken into their home and taken their personal belongings. Many never consider the possibilities until their privacy has been shattered.

Toni Ronan knows all too well the emotions that overtake a person after a stranger breaks in.

Ronan’s home in the 100 block of Broadway Avenue was burglarized in broad daylight on Monday, Nov. 14.

Ronan had left that morning to see her granddaughter in Spokane. Shortly after 10 a.m. her sister stopped by Ronan’s home and was greeted by an intruder.

Police are continuing to search for an unknown suspect.

The burglar had enough time in the home to take most of Ronan’s jewelry and other valuable jewelry that belonged to her daughter who died recently.

“He took every bit of my good jewelry. He was very selective,” Ronan said. “He knew what was good and what wasn’t.”

Ronan estimates that $10,000 in jewelry was stolen from the home. Among the missing pieces is a one-of-a-kind item that means more than the value of precious metal used to make it.

“He took my wedding rings, which is breaking my heart. Jerry had them made for me and I had taken them off to clean them,” Ronan said.

Ronan’s husband, Jerry, died in 2010 after being diagnosed with lung cancer. The couple had been married since 1979.

Ronan, who lived in Ritzville once before in 1976 for about two years, returned to live here in May of this year to be close to her sister and her granddaughter, who lives in Spokane.

When she lived here in 1976, Ronan loved the city and returned here this year with the memories of her first stay here.

“It was the greatest little town I ever saw. It was nice. It was clean. You weren’t afraid to let your kids play outside after dark,” she recalled.

The aftermath of the burglary has left her shaken and in shock over the knowledge someone forced their way into her home. Ronan is frightened now and finds it difficult to spend the night in the home, uneasy and fearful someone might return.

Despite her uneasiness, Ronan wanted to talk about the experience and caution other residents to be careful and make sure they secure their homes. As the holidays approach, and with a tightening economy, the number of burglaries and thefts are on the rise.

“This has affected me in so many ways,” she said. “You lose a little bit more faith in humanity. Every little sound the house makes, I’m jumping.

“I want people to know so they can be careful,” she said. “You need to be vigilant and aware of your surroundings. Let the police do their work. The more we support each other and the more we protect each other, the better off we will be.”

Ronan’s home was locked when the burglary occurred. The intruder took the screen off a window in the backyard and crawled through an unlocked window.

The night before the burglary, Ronan thought she saw someone pass by one of her windows in the backyard. She dismissed it and didn’t call police. Since the burglary she has been rethinking that.

Police Chief David McCormick encourages residents to call police any time they see or hear something suspicious. It’s better to have the police check and find nothing.

The theft of her wedding band, after recently losing her husband, has shaken Ronan to her core.

“He took away my memories of why I received those items. Those were pieces of my life,” she said. “The wedding band especially because my husband had it made for me. There’s not another one on this earth. I intended on being buried with it.

“I know the odds of them getting my stuff back is next to nothing,” Ronan said.

Sitting in her living room during a recent interview, Ronan spoke about how she liked the rental home she lives in, but now feels like staying there alone isn’t going to be possible. Her adult children are encouraging her to move out of Ritzville, closer to them.

Ronan’s experience, she hopes will help others avoid the same kind of violation of their personal space.

“Neighbors need to watch out for neighbors more,” she said. “I just want it (her story) to help one person. I don’t want this to happen to anyone.”