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The Muskegon Police Department

(MLive File Photo)

MUSKEGON, MI – A Muskegon senior citizen endured a terrifying encounter recently when three unknown males were busting down her door while she lay alone in her bed in the middle of the night.

But an unsolicited good deed by a Muskegon Police Department officer the following day has given the victim some relief, some sense of security, she said.

The 72-year-old woman, speaking to an MLive Muskegon Chronicle reporter by phone, said Muskegon Police Officer Trevor Gerlach not only assisted in capturing two of the three suspects, but treated her with kindness and dignity days after the home invasion.

Gerlach had asked the woman, who has lived in the same home for about 30 years, if she had anyone to fix her badly damaged door frame following the incident.

When she said, "no," he took it upon himself to get the materials and come back to her home after his work shift and repair and secure the door himself -- with his own money.

"He fixed the door. I was surprised. He came back and fixed it," she said.

She remains frightened weeks after the incident, but said Gerlach not only fixed and improved her former door frame, but put on a "hotel room" type door lock as well.

The incident occurred around 1:15 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 20. All three suspects have been charged with felonies.

"I'm still scared. It will be a while before I get over it," she said. "I was in my bed when it happened. I heard them knock on the door and then kick my door in. I'm always scared someone is trying to get in my house. It will be a while before I sleep again. I'm still afraid. I'm so grateful that they didn't come in."

The Muskegon County Prosecutor's Office brought Gerlach's deed to light after some social media sites had referenced it.

"The Muskegon County Prosecutor's Office became aware of the officer's willingness to help this victim and we commend him for going above and beyond his duties for helping her," said Muskegon County Chief Assistant Prosecutor Timothy Maat.

Gerlach said he was glad he could assist her, but said what he did for the woman is what any officer what have done in that situation. He noted that similar acts of kindness go unnoticed in his line of work "every day."

Gerlach has been with the department for about seven years.

"I wasn't looking for recognition. Every officer does this type of thing multiple times in their career," he said.

The 1 a.m. incident was reported by the woman as the suspects were kicking in her door.

"We had been advised that she was in the house and heard what she believed was someone breaking in. It was fairly late. We got to the scene, and right as I was arriving, another officer was in the back alley and encountered subjects and they took off running," he said.

In all, three suspects were apprehended in connection to the home invasion. The suspects had done some damage and were clearly intending to enter her home, Gerlach said.

Her screen had been cut, her door damaged and the suspects were in the process of making entry into the home when police arrived.

"We found a window screen cut and footsteps beneath the window. They had full entry into the house. There was nothing left to stop them," Gerlach said.

Gerlach said the woman expressed to him that she remains fearful after the incident, as the woman is widowed.

"I didn't get the impression she had any family nearby," he said.

"I just told her the door was too damaged to fix it. It would not be sufficient beyond that night," Gerlach said.

He had some of the parts for the frame at home, so he measured the doorway and returned with the materials and a new lock after his work shift was over.

He never mentioned any of the work he did in his police report about the incident, Maat said.

Muskegon Public Safety Director Jeffrey Lewis said it was all around good police work on Gerlach's part. He anticipates publicly recognizing Gerlach's efforts with an award.

"It's just above and beyond and totally outstanding. When we see outstanding police work like that, we recognize people and give them an award. We notice when behavior is above and beyond," Lewis said.

"It's really outstanding. That was just something he decided to do on his own."

Meanwhile, the incident itself should serve as a reminder to others in the Muskegon County area that home invasions remain steady.

Homeowners need to keep themselves as safe as possible, Gerlach said.

The woman may have been targeted because of her age, but home invasion suspects are also going around casing homes randomly, he said.

Gerlach said residents need to be leery when someone knocks on the door and asks for someone who doesn't live there.

"They'll knock on the front door. If no one answers, they'll go to the back door," Gerlach said. "If someone is knocking on the front door and asks if someone lives there that doesn't, they are casing the house. Call us and let us know," he said.

Here are a few things police say to keep in mind:

Lock doors at all time. "They look for the opportunity," Gerlach said. "Unlocked houses and cars just gives them an opportunity to get them into the house."

Let people know if you're going out of town. Call police for property checks. "If neighbors see something, call while it's happening. We need to prevent it if we can," Gerlach said.

Keep lights on the front and back of the home, if possible. Lights tend to "scare them off," said Lewis.

Heather Lynn Peters covers police and fire, and writes a statewide food column, The Spunky Kitchen, for MLive Muskegon Chronicle. Email her at hpeters@mlive.com and follow her on Twitter @HLPNEWS.