NewsWest 9
ODESSA - A homeowner's worst nightmare, a knock on the door from some thieves.
William Joseph Dow is now behind bars, however, two other suspects are still on the run. The three suspects shoved a man to the ground as they entered his home on the 1800 block of Penbrook back in June. The intruders then hog tied him, dragged him to a different room and left him there.
"The son of the first victim came home and as soon as he entered his front door, he was immediately struck in the head," Steve LeSueur with the Odessa Police Department, said.
The 51-year-old then heard a fight where the thieves were and that's when his 20-year-old son came into the other room and untied him. His son was bleeding from his face and told police that the suspects also kicked him several times while he was on the ground. During that time, Dow told one of his partners to shoot the victim and at one point even threatened to cut off one of his fingers.
It is believed that the victims were trying to sell items online, likely on websites such as Craigslist or even Facebook, and that's when they were targeted.
The suspects took off with several items such as a television, DVD players and a shotgun, many of which were posted online.
"We just want to remind the public that if you are selling items, on Craigslist or however you sell them, that you just want to be very careful with who you're associating with," LeSueur said.
It is not clear how or why this home was chosen but police want to use this to remind people to be safe online.
"Try to avoid posting on Facebook or giving people lots of detailed information because a lot of your personal information can be retrieved that way," LeSueur said. "We're glad that one of the suspects is in custody, however, we still have two more suspects that we're still searching for."
