Super Bowl Ring Among Valuables Taken in Encino Break-In

Encino residents Suzan and Willie Gault were the victims of a home burglary earlier this month that left them without some of their most prized possessions. Among the items taken were Willie Gault's Super Bowl ring, won in 1985 when he was a wide receiver for the Chicago Bears.

Suzan Gault told Patch that she wanted to get the word out to other Encino residents so they could be extra-viligant and prevent the same thing from happening to them.

She said the burglar made off with items including jewelry, designer clothes, handbags and sunglasses from their home. The couple were packing on Nov. 9 for a vacation to Abu Dhabi and consequently had taken jewelry from their safe to take on the trip.

"I took everything out of the safe and put it in the closet to pack," Gault told Patch. She said she heard a knock at the door at about 2:30 p.m. At her front door, she saw a "kid in his early 20s, 5-foot-8, nicely dressed, holding a phone with a white cover. He was a nice-looking kid," she remembered.

"He asked 'Yo, is Kristen here?' " Gault told him nobody of that name lived in the house. " 'Sorry ma'am', he said, and turned around and left." Gault believes he could have been the burglar.

"He was casing our house; he wanted to check out if anybody was home," Gault said. "It didn't feel right. I had a bad feeling, but I had things to do."

Gault said her husband left at 2:45 p.m. to run errands. Five minutes later, she left to get her nails done.

"I left, and within an hour and a half my house is robbed," Gault said.

"He ripped the screen off our window in our guest bathroom," she said, explaining how the burglar got in.

"He took every single piece of jewelry we have except my engagement ring, which I was wearing," she said. "He took almost $200,000 worth of jewelry and clothes and handbags." She said that the burglar also took a loaded 9-millimeter gun that she kept by the bed.

"After getting over the initial shock, I called my husband first," she said. "He said, 'Oh my God, get out of the house'; I didn’t."

"I went into my bedroom, it was like a bomb went off..." she said, referring to the mess that the burglar had made. "I am so angry. First it was shock, then I was sad, now I want to find this kid and crush him."

Calls by Patch to the LAPD West Valley Division regarding the burglary were not immediately returned.

Sherman Oaks Patch Editor Doug Kriegel reported Monday to see Senior Lead Officer Ron Carter giving tips to residents about protecting themselves against burglars. His advice includes:

• Get to know your neighbors so you can spot someone who may not belong in the neighborhood or have legitimate business there.
• Keep your alarm turned on when you leave the house.
• Keep your valuables in a safe.
• Most burglars enter through the back door, so make sure yours is secure.

If you have been burglarized, or have any tips for your neighbors, please let Encino Patch know. Leave a comment in the box below, or email the editor at anna.king@patch.com.