Second Halifax senior faces home invasion in two days: ‘It’s very upsetting’

“We are definitely exploring that possibility at this time, however it’s too early in the investigation to definitively link the two cases,” said Penfound.

Penfound said in the latest break-and-enter, a masked man somehow entered an apartment building on Leppert Street just before 11 p.m. on Wednesday and found his way to the 86-year-old woman’s apartment and to her bedroom.

He entered her room and demanded money, and the woman complied, providing “a sum of cash.”

Police say they responded quickly, tracking the suspect to the nearby Mumford bus terminal near the Halifax Shopping Centre and then eventually arresting him just after midnight Thursday on Gottingen Street.

Penfound says police are concerned about having two cases of intrusions and violence directed at elderly citizens.

“It’s very upsetting with respect to vulnerable members of our community … That person did nothing wrong and was in the comfort of her own home,” said the constable.

“Incidents like this are not common. … Most home invasions are not random acts.”

MacDonald had said in an interview she was sitting on a green recliner in her home, with a flannel blanket tucked around her legs, when she heard a bang on the door. She said she opened the door to find two young men demanding money.

MacDonald, who uses a walker to get around, said she was pushed to the floor, then dragged from her home and forced to the pavement.

She started screaming, and the suspects fled as neighbours came outside to investigate.

MacDonald is recovering from two black eyes, bruises on her left hand and chest, and swollen ankles and knees.

Police had said they were searching for a light-skinned black man, 5-foot-5, with a slim build and wearing a red sweater and a red toque. Several officers and a canine unit searched the area, but did not find a suspect.

The Canadian Press

by Canadian Press

Second Halifax senior faces home invasion in two days: ‘It’s very upsetting’

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