A series of home invasion robberies in Newton County in southwest Missouri have been targeting elderly residents. The robbers rip out the phone lines, threaten the residents for cash and valuables and rough them up if they don’t cooperate. One resident summoned help by pressing her Medicalert bracelet, which scared away the robbers. In almost all cases the invasion began with a knock on the door. The local Sheriff Ken Copeland said, “If somebody you don’t know comes to your door, don’t open it, call the Sheriff’s office.”
The robbery of an elderly woman at 11:40 a.m. Wednesday on Old Scenic Route again involved two men who entered through the victim’s back door.
“They actually did shove her down,” Jennings said. “But they were not able to obtain anything because she had one of those electronic medical alerts, and when she activated it, it apparently scared them off.”
The woman did not require medical attention for any injuries suffered in the incident, he said.