Morrow County DA urges people to protect their property if vacant for long periods
By Terry Murry on Thursday, August 31st, 2023 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
HEPPNER – Protect your property. That’s the advice from Morrow County District Attorney Justin Nelson said an arrest was made recently involving breaking into a home in Irrigon. A woman who was taken into custody had actually taken up residence in the home, which had been vacant for about three months. He said the most serious charge of burglary is difficult to prove.
“I cannot say for sure when the first break in happened,” Nelson said. “Could this residence have been broken into a month or two beforehand, and it just started spreading as a rumor.”
The owner had left most of their possessions at the house. A neighbor noticed a backdoor was open and called the victim who in turn reported it to law enforcement. When law enforcement was notified they allegedly found Brooklinn Melson living there. Many of the items inside the home had disappeared.
Nelson urges people to notify law enforcement, enlist the help of neighbors, and if possible to install surveillance cameras if they are planning an extended absence from their property.
“I wish our community was safe where we didn’t have to worry about this, but there are these individuals that are looking for opportunities,” he said. “Opportunities to steal, opportunities to feed their drug habit, and maybe just cause damage because it sounds like fun to them.”
Melson is charged with burglary and several counts of theft and trespass. Her next court date is a pretrial conference on Oct. 5.
