Posted By: Margaret Pozzini
A Jacksonville family was recently robbed at gunpoint during their stay at a South Carolina motel.
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The family had been traveling all day en route to visit their daughter in college. They stopped just off the interstate to get some sleep, when suddenly a knock on their motel room door turned their vacation into a nightmare.
David and Patty Ubbens said they thought they were safe while staying at a motel in Clinton, South Carolina, but that a knock at the door changed everything.
The couple was robbed at gunpoint and then beaten.
"I want other people to know that you cannot be too safe," David Ubbens said.
He said the thief asked him a question before forcing his way into the motel room.
"He asked, 'Is Brent there?' and I said, 'You've got the wrong room,' and that is literally the last thing that I remember," David Ubbens said.
"I was scared to scream because he was standing over him. I went out to try to get him away from David because David was down and I didn't hear any response from David. He stopped, like he was going to come back again, and that's when I told him, 'Take what you want and leave,'" Patty Ubbens said.
Attorney Rick Alexander is representing the Ubbens family. He said drive-to-the-door motels off interstates can be easy targets for criminals.
"The criminal can knock on the door, force their way in, grab all the money and get out. And when they get by the interstate, they can get on the road very quickly," Alexander said.
"The rule of thumb to remember is one, you never open your door, particularly at night at these type of places. If you are not expecting anyone, always be cautious and suspicious of what their actions may be if you open the door," said Jacksonville Sheriff's Office Spokesman Ken Jefferson.
Police have not yet made an arrest in the case. The Ubbens family said they hope others can learn from their experience.
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