An emotional San Marcos man is hoping to recover a “priceless” item after someone broken into his home and stole his truck.
Ryan Hughes returned to his home on Sycamore Drive just after noon Friday and didn’t see his truck parked in front.
Then he looked inside the house.
“Everything had been torn apart. The cabinets were open,” said Hughes.
Among the other things missing, a few $500 watches, some compound bows, and a $1,500 remote controlled car, but Hughes thought of only one possession.
“So I come into the bedroom and the gun case was open,” said Hughes.
A few remained, but 5 guns, including 3 shotguns and 3 rifles, were stolen.
Among them: a very special .30-06.
“My dad's gun is nothing I could put a value on,” said Hughes, choking back tears.
As a kid, Hughes used the rifle when he and his dad went hunting.
It was passed on to him at the age of 9, after his father died of an aneurysm 27 years ago.
“He touched it. It’s something he used and enjoyed. I don’t have a lot of things that belonged to him. I was hoping to pass it on to my kids and keep it in the family forever,” said Hughes.
When Hughes got to the side of the house, he saw the entry point: a hole in a window. A rock was found inside.
“Someone reached in and unlatched it. Then slid window, popped the screen and went in,” said Hughes.
Hughes' family posted details of the break-in on Facebook.
“It’s such a violating feeling.
His truck was recovered outside a Vista apartment complex after someone spotted it, but none of the stolen items inside.
“I just want my dad's gun back. It’s all I care about. Someone come leave it on my porch … fine with me,” said Hughes.
The rifle is a 1980s-style gun missing a rear sight.
A $500 reward has been offered for the return of his father’s rifle.
If you have any information on the case, call the San Marcos Sheriff’s substation at 760-510-5200.
