By Nancy McCleary Staff writer That burglars ransacked the house was bad, but their leaving thank-you notes for the stolen property added insult to injury. That’s what Ernest Thomas and his wife said as they spoke about the break-in at their home on the 5200 block of Madonna Drive in the West Area Heights neighborhood off Murchison Road. “How dare you come into my house and steal my property and leave a thank-you note,” Mrs. Thomas said Thursday. She did not want to be identified by her first name. It was shortly after 10 a.m. Wednesday when a neighbor saw two young men – one carrying a rifle – walking nonchalantly down the middle of the street, Mrs. Thomas said. Police were called and a short time later they arrested Dajuan Marquis Avant, 19, who is homeless, and Darrell I. Sturdivant Jr., 19, of the 1100 block of Sleepy Hollow Drive. Police notified the Thomases, who were at work, and they rushed home. What they found infuriated them, Mrs. Thomas said. On the kitchen floor was broken glass from unsuccessful attempts to enter through a rear window and rear door. The back door was kicked in, she said. Once inside, the burglars pulled out dresser drawers and dumped the contents in the floor or on beds, she said. Clothing was strewn through the rooms, including those of her teenage son and daughter. After rifling through the clothing, the burglars packed up television sets, iPods, a notebook computer and a BB rifle. They packed the items into a suitcase, two duffel bags and a book bag that belonged to the Thomases. “All they could fit into my bags,” Mrs. Thomas said, jabbing at the air with her index finger. “I was like, ‘Are you serious?’ ” The burglars went through the refrigerator and took a box of corn dogs, a bag of french fries, frozen chicken and beer, she said. “What kind of real burglar steals groceries?” Mrs. Thomas asked. But the coup de grace, she said, were the two thank-you messages the burglars left behind. One was on a white paper napkin on a table beside the computer stand in the living room. “Thanks” was written in what appeared to be black ink. The second note was scrawled on the dark gold walls of the hallway. “Thanks,” it read. “We love the items we found today. Love u.” Mrs. Thomas said she was furious when she saw that. “How dare you leave me a thank-you note after you broke a window, kicked in the door and came in my house,” she said angrily. “How dare you come into my house and take my stuff and leave a thank-you note.” The break-in shattered the family’s sense of security, Mrs. Thomas said. It was difficult to sleep Wednesday night, she said. The Thomases are grateful that police recovered their property. They’re also thankful to the person who called police when they saw the two men walking down the road with a rifle, Mrs. Thomas said. Avant and Sturdivant are charged with breaking and entering, larceny, possessing stolen property, conspiracy and misdemeanor injury to property, according to Dan Grubb, a spokesman for the Fayetteville Police Departmen
