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Citrus Heights man whose home was burglarized wants others to learn from his mistakes

"Unfortunately, this is the world we live in now. These things happen. And to think that it wouldn't happen is unfortunately a bit delusional."

CITRUS HEIGHTS, Calif. — Grant Hayward returned from work a bit later than usual Monday night. He put down his bag and keys in the kitchen. When he walked into his living room, he immediately knew something was wrong.

There was glass all over his floor. The window next to a sliding glass door had been shattered. 

"When I noticed that, the first thing I thought was 'Oh my God, someone just broke into my house,'" remembered Hayward. "And another thing that popped into my mind was, 'Are they still here? What am I going to do if they're still here.'"

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Fortunately, the thief or thieves had fled long ago. Hayward says his girlfriend arrived shortly thereafter. They called the police and walked around the house to assess the damage. The burglar had gotten away with a TV, a laptop, an iPad, and headphones.

"The police showed up and I walked them through what I saw and told them about the items that were missing," explained Hayward. "One of the first things they asked me was, 'Oh, do you have any cameras?' And I said 'no.'"

It's something Hayward regrets. He says hindsight is always 20/20 and he hopes others will learn from his mistakes.

Hayward says the thief or thieves came through a side gate, which wasn't secured. He says they then went around to windows and doors trying to pry them open. Eventually they made their way to the window next to his sliding door, smashed it, and let themselves inside.

Hayward says he wishes he would have invested in a home alarm system or perhaps even a dog, anything to scare off an intruder. Hayward also wants others to know about the need to document items.

"I wish I had properly taken inventory of my items, documenting make, model, serial number, manufacturer's date, that kind of information," explained Hayward, regretfully.

Still, he says he won't let the violation change him.

"An instance like this, I refuse to let it dictate how I live my life and my happiness."

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