A Benicia home for sale was broken into and burglarized over the weekend, and police are saying it's a growing trend in the East Bay city.
Dzung Worthington said her house had been on the market for just one day when it was targeted by burglars. Freshly painted and staged with furniture, burglars broke into the vacant house and helped themselves to Worthington's belongings.
"I don't believe it happened to my house," she said. "It's a very safe street. It never happened. I've been here 30 years, and nothing's happened."
Christine, a Coldwell Banker real estate agent, said she saw the suspects leaving the house when she went to show it to clients Sunday morning. She took a photo of them from inside and called police.
"At the time, it seemed like they're not supposed to be here, what do I do next," Christine said. "I snapped a photo; it was easier to remember what they look like that way."
Benicia police arrested the men a short time later.
Police Chief Erik Upson said the case is part of an alarming trend in the city. Nine houses for sale have been burglarized in the past two months, he said. But police and realtors are on to them.
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"They're taking anything they can resell without being traced back to them," Upson said. "In this case, a lot of it was furniture, things like that they could sell at flea markets and such."
Worthington's glad the suspects who targeted her place are behind bars. She hopes she can clean it and sell it soon.
"Quick as I can, so nobody can come in and sleep there again," she said.
