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Late-night knock on door quickly turns dangerous

A woman opens her door to another who asks to use the phone. Two men follow.

By JACOB H. FRIES
Published August 11, 2006

CLEARWATER - A woman appeared at Allyson Kenney's door about midnight Wednesday, saying she had a fight with her boyfriend and needed to use a phone, sheriff's officials said.

But when Kenney, 28, opened the door to let the woman in, two men followed, one of them armed with a handgun, Pinellas County sheriff's spokesman Mac McMullen said. The men bound Kenney and her brother Jason, 26, with duct tape as they ransacked the home, saying they were looking for a safe and marijuana, McMullen said.

They ultimately left with nothing more than Allyson Kenney's purse and a set of house keys, officials said.

Detectives were still examining the crime scene on Lichen Lane, just south of Cove Cay Country Club, and had not determined whether the robbers had chosen the Kenneys' home at random.

So far, the Kenneys have not been able to provide detailed descriptions of any of the three invaders, McMullen said. Efforts by the Times to reach them on Thursday were unsuccessful.

According to McMullen, this is how the home-invasion robbery unfolded:

After Kenney opened the door, the two men forced her upstairs to the bedroom where her brother was sleeping. The men beat him in the face and then bound both of them with tape, stretching it across their eyes, ears and mouths.

About 15 minutes after the suspects finished searching the home and left, the Kenneys freed themselves and called 911 at 12:29 a.m.

Jason Kenney was taken to a hospital with injuries to his face that were described as significant but not life-threatening, McMullen said. Officials would not identify the facility where Kenney was being treated because the invaders remained on the loose.

[Last modified August 10, 2006, 22:53:24]