Police: Home broken into five times

ALBUQUERQUE — The home of an elderly Albuquerque woman hospitalized for a week has been reportedly burglarized at least five times, highlighting the city’s rising crime rates.

Albuquerque police arrested two people on Sunday in connection with the latest break-in that followed a string of burglaries at the same home, KOAT-TV in Albuquerque reported.

Burglars tried twice to break into the home of Margaret Young on Christmas Eve, police said. After those attempts, Young’s two daughters found Damian Lee Castillo, 31, inside the home on Christmas Day, and pepper-sprayed him after he threatened them with a knife, police said.

Castillo was arrested and charged with burglary.

Following Castillo’s arrest, there were more break-ins, including two on Sunday, police said.

Investigators said Young’s son chased a couple away from the home on foot but the couple left their car behind.

Police later found methamphetamine and other drugs in the car, a criminal complaint said.

Jennifer Knight and Tyler Click were later arrested in connection with the last burglary. Click was released on a $1,000 bond while Knick was being held as a fugitive in connection with drug charges in Colorado, court records showed.

Click could not be reached because there was no phone listing for him. Court records did not list names of attorneys for the suspect.

“What we think happened was her information was compromised by a staff worker or somebody at the hospital, and now has told one person, who has told the next, who told the next,” Albuquerque police spokesman Simon Drobik said.

The burglaries came as the city of Albuquerque experienced a 2016 jump in property crime.