Burglar’s Haste Causes Him Waste, Brings Victim an $840 Bonanza

It’s not often that victims of burglary actually make a profit, especially not $840 worth.

Indeed, Catherine Smith, whose Van Nuys home was ransacked last week, may be the first in quite a while, Los Angeles police said.

Smith, 33, an engineer, returned home to find that a burglar had made off with about $1,800 worth of goods, including a television set and personal computer, Detective Linda Warren said.

“That kind of got me down,” Smith said. Then, as she cleaned up the mess in her bedroom, she found an unfamiliar cardboard box, “dumped out the contents . . . and found all the money.”

Smith had discovered a cache of traveler’s checks purchased by her father before his death. The checks had been in the box, in her closet. The burglar rummaged through the closet but apparently missed the checks in his haste, the detective said.

Smith’s father brought the checks home after a trip to Asia five years ago, but died of a stroke about two weeks later without telling her where they were.

“I didn’t recognize them at first,” Smith said. “But then I remembered that my father did have extra checks from that trip, but I had no idea what he did with them.”

Smith, who expects her insurance company to reimburse her for the stolen television and computer, said she is treating the windfall as a Christmas present from her father. “I think this shows that he’s still looking out for me and thinking of me at Christmas,” she said.

One result of the windfall: She bought a Doberman pinscher to greet burglars.

And, has she learned any lessons?

“Well, I think, if anything, it shows that I’ve got to learn to clean out my closets more often.”