MANTECA, Calif. —
Just over a week ago, Kristina Tennyson, her husband and two kids, closed on a six-bedroom, three-acre property just south of Manteca.
"We liked the idea the kids get to run around. It's good for them,"
Tennyson said.
While the rural nature of the property was also what attracted them, it attracted some unwanted visitors as well.
"I felt violated," Tennyson said.
Because the family wanted to paint and update the home before moving in, it was left vacant. Just couple days ago, she went to check on the progress. As she drove up to her property to meet her contractors, she was surprised to find a U-Haul truck.
"And then I noticed a car and some women and children running around my driveway. At the time my contractor was here. So, I went upstairs and I asked him, 'hey, did you bring a U-Haul' and he said 'no.' So we immediately knew something was not right," Tennyson said.
So, she confronted them.
"I came downstairs to ask them what they were doing here and they informed me they were moving in. I informed them no this is my house. They were trying to tell me their dad had rented the house," Tennyson said.
Turns out, the alleged dad was one of two men caught on her security camera a few days earlier on her property.
"So at that point I told them I was going to call the cops," Tennyson said.
She did and they immediately left, minutes before sheriff's deputies arrived.
"Unfortunately, they told me because they didn't break into the home and because they actually didn't damage any property even if they do catch them there's nothing they can do," Tennyson said.
With what she went through, there are lessons to be learned. That's why she came forward to hopefully help anyone else that might end up in the same situation.
If you have to leave your home vacant, the San Joaquin County Sheriff's Office suggests installing security cameras. They also suggest making it appear like someone is home, like leaving lights on, and informing your neighbors, so they can keep watch as well.
Other tips the sheriff's office suggested to help include keeping a dog on the property, have a car parked in the driveway or even keeping a radio on tuned to a "talk radio" station placed by the front door. If you can, have someone you trust stay at the property until any work is completed.
"I never thought something like this could happen to me. It can really happen to anybody," Tennyson said.
