(MOBILE, Ala.) June 15 - Authorities now say a woman was raped in Baldwin County's Stapleton community after her attacker removed a window air conditioning unit to slip into the victim's home. NBC 15 has learned there are many ways in which women may be vulnerable to an attack inside their homes without even realizing it.
"I never forget to lock the door," Mobile resident Leah Rowe says about her daily routine. "It's the first thing I do when I get home and if my roommate is not coming home I'll do the latch."
Anthony Lowery, with the Baldwin County Sheriff's Office, says locks only go so far. He says there is a laundry list of vulnerable spots crooks can use to get into a home.
"There are a lot of ways they can violate the sanctity of your home," Lowery said, "and they are mostly the small things."
Uncovered windows invite unwanted eyes to see whether or not you are home. Even deadbolt locks can be turned from the outside if the glass next to it is broken, and faulty security lights give crooks the cover of darkness to do their deeds.
"If you make things harder at your house, then its more likely they are going to move on down the road," Lowery said.
