A schoolgirl's sharp eye and artistic talent helped collar a suspected burglar accused of breaking into her house and almost a dozen other homes!
When Stratford, Conn., cops investigating a rash of robberies knocked on 11-year-old Rebecca DePietro’s door, the young sleuth recalled,“They asked me if I’d seen anyone strange or who didn’t belong, and I said, ‘I can draw him for you!’
“I just knelt down here in the living room next to my bench and grabbed a pencil and took two or three minutes to draw the picture.
"Afterwards, I figured [the detective] would just throw it away.”
But police treated the sketch as a key clue. The detective faxed Rebecca’s drawing to other nearby departments.
The picture led cops straight to Pedro Bruno, who was already in custody in nearby Fairfield after being accused of trying to rob an 82-year-old man with a toy gun while breaking into his home.
Bruno, 32, from Bridgeport, Conn., had refused to talk.
But police say when they showed him Rebecca’s sketch and told him they had a witness, he sang like a canary!
“Police say they went into his apartment and recovered many stolen items,” said Rebecca’s proud dad, Paul, who lost an iPod and jewelry in a burglary just a week after she drew her sketch.
“Unfortunately, no items were found from our house.”
As for his talented daughter, he said: “I’m very proud of her. The police captain told us that this is unprecedented. He’s never seen anything like what she did.”
The local police department honored Rebecca for her help, giving her a civilian recognition award.
But the amateur crime-buster remains humble about her artistic talents, saying: “I don’t think I’m the best, but I think I’m pretty good.
"I have art hanging up in the Stratford Board of Education building!”
