Tec-9 stolen in Kerman home invasion

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- A 95-year-old woman was locked up in her own closet Thursday, as thieves ransacked her house.

Kerman police told Action News this crime will be tough to solve, since the victim is 95 years old, and her memory is not great.

The Barba family said they want the crooks caught since they made off with a loaded, high-powered, semi-automatic handgun and some ammunition.

The Barbas said it was the middle of the day when one, two maybe even three crooks broke into their home. "She was the perfect victim, the perfect victim," said Marycela Pacheco, whose elderly grandmother, Maria Barba, was home alone when the crooks tore through the house.

Pacheco said her grandmother was thrown into a small closet. "[They] got the recliner and barricaded her with this recliner, put the recliner on the closet door," Pacheco said.

Pacheco's mother was the one who came home to find Maria locked in the closet, around 3:30 Thursday afternoon. The house was a complete mess, according to the family, jewelry was taken from dressers and furniture thrown about and broken.

Pacheco's father and the homeowner, Francisco Barba, said Maria was very overwhelmed after spending hours locked in the closet. "She was just tired to be there, when we got her out she couldn't walk," he said.

Kerman police told Action News that Maria was so shaken she was not able to give much information about the person or people who broke into her home. "She really was still kind of a little bit hysterical and she didn't have a real good description," said Kerman Police Officer Jeff Belding.

Meanwhile, Pacheco said she cannot understand why someone would harm her grandmother.

Because of the limited information Maria was able to give police, they don't know whether this was a random act or if the home was targeted.

Francisco Barba told Action News he used the handgun for hunting.

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fresno county, kerman, home invasion, crimetracker, local

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