CHEHALIS, Wash. -- Braydon Carper's mother thought her 13-year-old was old enough to babysit his younger brothers, and she was right.
Braydon's quick-thinking, and younger brother Trenton's good eyes, helped police catch a woman who may be responsible for a series of home burglaries.
Krysta Carper left Braydon in charge of 7-year-old Trenton and 5-year-old Skyler for the first time Thursday.
Around 12:30 in the afternoon the boys heard a car pull up into their rural driveway.
Trenton looked out the window and spotted a red van.
Since they did not know who was in the van, Braydon and his brothers locked themselves in a back bedroom. Braydon then called his mom at work.
"I wanted to vomit," said Krysta, who quickly learned the stranger was using a crowbar to pry open the front door.
While the burglar was in the master bedroom, Braydon called 911.
Thanks to Trenton, responding deputies knew to be on the lookout for a red van. A Lewis County deputy heading to the house saw a red van driving away from the area.
The driver, Darlene Lockard, had a crowbar in the van along with a bag of costume jewelry.
Krysta Carper said the jewelry belonged to her.
Investigators say Lockard has past convictions for theft and is a suspect in burglaries in Thurston county.
Krysta and her husband Chris Carper are proud of their boys who remained calm, and did what they were told: call Mom if you need help.
When asked if he was scared, Trenton said, "My heart was beating a little bit."
