We all fear hearing that bump in the night and the prospect of having to go downstairs to a possible intruder.
One North Carolina couple were so convinced there was a stranger in the house they called the police.
But Thomas and Elisa Milam were left red faced when officers discovered the culprit of all the commotion turned out to be their hardworking robotic vacuum cleaner.
The Forsyth couple had settled down upstairs to watch a movie when just after midnight they heard a noise coming from downstairs.
Thomas told his wife to get to a safe place and call the police while he grabbed his gun.
When officers arrived they discovered the intruder was nothing more than their robotic vacuum cleaner that had got stuck in the hallway and was banging against the wall.
Thomas took to Facebook to admit his embarrassing mistake but to also thank the officers for being “such good sports” about the mix up.
In describing the moment he thought there was someone else in the house he wrote: “I immediately grabbed my gun, went to Elisa and we stayed there silently waiting to see if we heard more noises.
“We did, and in fact they were loud. Someone was definitely downstairs rummaging through things, and it sounded close to us.”
They called 911 and the police arrived “almost immediately.”
He continues: “The police arrived within a minute of the call, excellent, and as soon as they pulled up we heard a loud sound downstairs, which seemed that the burglar was in a panic. I was ready to do whatever I needed to do to keep my family safe.
‘I was only in my boxers’
“With my gun pointed at the door, we waited for instructions. The police came in and started shouting “Sheriff’s office!” There were several police in our house by this point, we heard them downstairs, and the 911 dispatcher told us to set my gun down and come to talk with the police.
“I opened our bedroom door, the police all had their lights shining up the stairs, I put my hands so they could see me, I was only in my boxers, lovely…I know. They all started holstering their weapons and said ‘Sir, I have one question…’ Me with adrenaline flowing rapidly, ‘Sure.’ Police, ‘Is this ROOMBA yours?’
“My heart sank, Elisa and I had purchased a ROBOT VACUUM cleaner and it arrived two days earlier and had somehow turned itself on and was vacuuming our house without us having scheduled it!! It had gotten stuck in the hallway below our stairs which is close to our room, and it kept bumping into our walls which explained the noises we kept hearing.
‘They all started laughing’
“I was so embarrassed, here I stood in my underwear, about four police officers got body cam footage of an almost nude and ashamed home owner.
“They asked how long we had it, I said two days and they all started laughing. They were such good sports about it and said believe it or not this kind of thing happens often, especially around this time of year.
“Merry Christmas everyone, make sure you turn off your robot vacuums before they rob you blind.”
I love that these officers were so professional in their response and that everyone had a good sense of humor about the situation.
Please share with others to help keep the Christmas cheer going.
