DAYTON — A mom and her two small children barricaded themselves in a bedroom when a complete stranger broke in and locked them all inside.
As reported on News Center 7 at 5:00, this happened at Clover Street in Dayton, and police had to bust the home’s door in to arrest the 54-year-old man.
“I have video of him coming into my house, he must have known the doorbell camera was there because he avoided it and walked in the house backward,” said Miranda Ney. “Me and my kids were watching Scooby-Doo.”
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Ney said they didn’t hear anything in an upstairs bedroom but her Australian shepherd Max started barking.
She grabbed her phone and turned on the flashlight to head down the stairs because the lights were off.
“When I got to the top of the steps, he was walking up that part of the steps,” Ney said.
Ney said the man, identified by police as Ruben Pacheco, quickly turned away so she couldn’t see him, but she noticed he had a six-foot metal pole in his hand.
She and her kids ran into her bedroom, where she sat with her back against the door, her legs against the wall, and dialed 911 while her 4-year-old daughter screamed and her dog barked.
“Very scary,” Ney said. “The police got here fast.”
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Officers told Ney and the many family members who pulled up that Pacheco still had the pole in his hand when they busted in through the door he had locked. Police also discovered a pocketknife in his pockets.
“It’s always been one of my fears is somebody breaking in when it is just me and my kids in the house,” Ney said.
Ney said the pole Pacheco carried came from their basement, where a light had been left on. She think he may have thought she was there doing laundry.
She and her husband are planning big upgrades in security but she already proved to be a cool customer for her 4-year-old daughter and two-year-old son.
“I was able to stay calm and I think I was able to do that because I saw, especially, how scared my daughter was,” Ney said.
Pacheco was booked in jail on suspicion of burglary, and a check of his previous history revealed he’s had at least one previous arrest on a break-in type of charge.
We will continue updating this story.
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