Mom who chased off burgler with Louisville slugger gets surprises

DETROIT (WJBK) - A lot has changed in Andrea's life since someone tried to climb through the window of her Detroit home in late November while she and her 16-year-old daughter were asleep inside. Andrea beat the burglar with a bat, busting it and perhaps the suspect's leg before he took off. She believes he had come back to finish the job after an earlier break in that resulted in all of her family's Christmas presents being stolen.

Her sense of security is now gone -- but not her faith in humanity.

A lot of people were touched after they saw Andrea's story. In particular, though, was a woman named Jennifer who has a little something for Andrea.

On Sunday, Jennifer, a complete stranger, presented her with a $100 gift card, a $500 check from her employer Lucido Fine Jewelry and a brand new Louisville slugger.

"It's not very often that you hear people that just stand up for themselves, and they're good people and they take care of themseleves. For her to be able to defend herself, be proud of what she did," Jennifer says.

Rick Ector, who runs Rick's Firearm Academy of Detroit, also gave Andrea access to a firearm safety training course at the firearm exchange in Livonia. It's an 8 hour class that goes over everything from a gun owner's rights and responsibilities to how to handle, store and lawfully use one.

"A single woman at home with a small child, someone was obviously watching her and waited for the perfect moment to attack, and I just felt moved to reach out to her and offer her free training," Ector says.

Andrea felt moved by all the generosity. While she won't be completely satisfied until police make an arrest, what's happening here is certainly giving her a reason to smile again

"I'm so used to doing stuff for people that somebody doing something for me, it just made me emotional," she says.

Andrea says that right after the robbery attempt she bought a gun so she could protect her family. She also plans to apply for a permit to carry a concealed weapon.