WEST UNIVERSITY PLACE, Texas – Thieves put a chair on top of a shed and climbed onto the second story roof of a home in West University, then they busted out the master bedroom window and went inside.
According to police, it appears the crooks knew what they were looking for; they headed straight for the closet and stole high-end handbags. Some of them were Hermes Birkin bags valued at more than $10,000 a piece.
"I think they knew how they were going to do it because it was quick," said Almeda Gonzalez, the family's housekeeper. "It think it was quick."
The homeowner, Donae Chramosta, known to many as the Vintage Contessa, said she buys and sells vintage handbags -- that's her business.
Chramosta is a stylist, published writer and blogger, who told Local 2 she was likely targeted because of her job. People know what she does for a living and the thieves knew what they were looking for.
The Chramosta family wasn't home at the time of the break-in and neither was their housekeeper.
"I came into the house and everything was normal," Gonzalez said. "I saw everything normal, but on the second floor there was a broken window."
Police said the crooks cut the cable and wireless connections to the home, hoping to disarm the surveillance cameras and alarm system. But the alarm's back-up battery worked and the police were still notified. However, by the time police arrived at the home, the crooks were gone.
Now the family said they are hoping the thieves get caught.
Anyone with information on this robbery is asked to contact the West University Place Police Department at 713-668-0330. Crime Stopper's is also offering a $10,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest and conviction.