Parick Petrik didn't plan on going home on Christmas night he was going to stay at his family's house, where he had been all day. At 10:15 p.m. he stopped by his house to feed his cats before leaving for the rest of the night but when he pulled into the driveway and walked into his backyard he was met with an unwelcome surprise.
"I noticed my back sliding odor open so I as I walked up I heard someone speaking inside, so I ran back out front, pulled my car up a little bit and called 911 and they were here within a minute or two," victim Parick Petrik said.
Petrik also saw a suspicious car take-off near his home and gave the car's information to dispatchers.
"It was probably the quickest speed walk I've ever done to walk back down to my car. I was hyperventilating like oh boy. It was one of the scariest things I've ever been involved in," Petrik said.
Visalia police say Petrik was right to not confront the suspects. Instead when authorities got there they caught the men and women in the act, as they were ransacking the house. Officers arrested Crystal Pina, Guillermo Cazares, Osvaldo Garcia and Cassandra Smith for the crimes.
"They were inside his residence for an unknown amount of time they had the run of the house per say. They did leave the premises with a substantial amount of items in that vehicle," Sgt. Ozzie Dominguez with the Visalia Police Department said.
The suspects stole TV electronics, a knife, jewelry and a bag full of Petrik's clothes. He's just thankful he didn't come back home with his two small children and fiancé.
"I'm just thankful that things turned out way better than they could have because if I hadn't come back at all who knows what i would have come back to the next day," Petrik said.
The four suspects are still in jail they face charges for conspiracy to commit burglary and possession of stolen property.
