Mother, Teenage Daughter Shaken Up By Home Invasion

A mother and her teenage daughter said they’re still shaken up after two men forced their way into their home near Newton Monday morning.

The two tried to hide in the 15-year-old’s bedroom after the men came inside, but the burglars kicked in the bedroom door.

Cindi Whittaker and her daughter Katie were not hurt, but they said the incident terrified them.

“My thought was save my daughter,” Cindi said. “I didn't want her hurt. They came in, we saw them [and] we screamed. [Then] they screamed and ran out the door.”

“I was absolutely terrified,” Katie said. “The only thing going through my mind was get them away.”

The burglars stole two computers that the family uses for the teenager’s home schooling.

Sheriff’s deputies said they are looking for two black males in their 20s driving a dark-colored car with paint that is peeling off the hood.

Cindi said she believes a higher power was watching over her and her daughter Monday, keeping them safe from the two young men who she believes are misguided.

“It breaks my heart,” she said. “There's so much these kids can be doing and I know the economy is tough. We're struggling -- everyone is struggling -- but you don't have to do this.”

Sheriff’s deputies said there haven’t been any recent similar cases in Catawba County. However, 15 miles north in Alexander County, there have been more than a dozen home break-ins in the last three weeks.