I accidentally caught a potential stalker/kidnapper.

One night about five years ago, I was at a bar having a drink. I only mention this because it is important for later on. I left the bar fairly late and decided to head home to bed. I live in a one bedroom apartment, which is part of a larger complex. My apartment is about as far from the main gate as you can get, which is sometimes annoying, but it's usually pretty quiet. Now, this is about 2 am, and I'm walking down the path toward my apartment. As I am doing so, I notice another person walking down the same path, but in the other direction, toward the gate. As I pass this person, I notice that it is a grown man, probably in his 30s. He is wearing a ratty old T-shirt and jeans. I pay extra attention to him because he wears no jacket and appears to be soaked down to the bone. I thought it odd, simply because we had not had any rain for quite some time. He doesn't notice me right away because he is busy looking down at his phone (which also seemed weird, because who needs to be constantly looking at their phone). That is until he hears me, at which point he quickly glances in my direction, then scurries off almost at a jog. It was as if he had guilt written all over his face. I continue on my way to my apartment, where I go about my usual routine. That is wash my face, change into a T-shirt and shorts, and brush my teeth. After I finish brushing my teeth, I turn to head for the bedroom, but I notice something peculiar. I always, always lock my door when I leave the house. It's just a habit I have gotten into. So when I notice that my door is unlocked, I know something is up. I push on the door, and it opens ever so slightly. This confirmed my suspicions, because I had in fact locked the door. I slowly and carefully push the door open ever so slightly and peek inside. I see no one. I open it up a little more, and I see a man, same ratty T-shirt, jeans, and soaked to the bone, crouching beside my bed. He is going through my things. He hasn't seen me yet, so I quietly shut the door, and hoof it back down the path towards the main gate as fast as I can. I don't stop running until I reach the nearest 24 hour restaurant. I dart inside and head for the bar. I ask the bartender if I can call the cops, explaining my situation, and he agrees. I call the police, and let them know my situation. The bartender, noticing that I am a bit frantic and scared, offers me a glass of alcohol. I decline. I explain to him that I am a little worried about waiting at my apartment, and he tells me I can stay there with him if I'd like, and I graciously accept. I stay in the restaurant for about an hour, and after about 20 minutes, a police car pulls up to my apartment complex. After another 40 minutes, an officer comes into the restaurant. He asks me if I am the person who made the call, and I said I am. He then proceeds to tell me that when they entered my apartment, they found a man matching my description in my apartment. The cop then asks me if I would be willing to press charges, and I say yes. The cop then asks me to come down to the police station and give a statement. I agree, and he offers to drive me because he thinks it would be best if I didn't go back to my apartment at that time. I agree, because really, who would want to be alone after going through that. We get in the car, and he drives me to the police station. It's almost 4 at this time, and I am starting to get really tired. When we arrive, I am greeted by an officer who is taking my statement. I tell him everything, from walking down the path, to the bartender's generosity. As I am doing so, I notice another officer, who is talking with a man who is wet, wearing a ratty T-shirt and jeans. I ask the officer I am talking to who the man is, and if it is the guy who was in my apartment, and he says yes. I then boldly (and I don't know how I did it) get up, and walk over to the desk the guy is sitting at. I look him in the eye, and let out a very stern "How could you do this?" He doesn't say a word. He just keeps his head down, and scowls. The cop who I was giving my statement to then grabs my arm, and tells me to come back over so we can finish the statement. I finish giving my statement, and the cop then offered to drive me back to my apartment. Again, I accept. When we get back to my apartment, I unlock the door, and go inside. I make sure to lock it, and then check every room to make sure no one else is there. After I am satisfied that I am alone, I go to bed. I wake up a few hours later, and go about my day as usual. Later on in the day, I receive a call from the police department, asking me about my experiences with the intruder, and if I had noticed anything out of the ordinary. I answer all of their questions to the best of my ability, and thank them for getting the guy. They then tell me that he is in custody, and will not be leaving for quite some time. They then ask if I had ever noticed the man around the complex before. I tell them no. They then proceed to tell me that the man is not a resident of the building, and was indeed there with malicious intent. The cop then asks me if I knew what he could have done to me had I been there at the time of the break in. I thought about it for a second, but I really didn't know. The cop then told me that they found groin area underwear that weren't his, soaked in water. He then said they believe the man's plan was to break into an apartment, and rape a woman, and then if anyone found him, he could just tell them he was doing the walk of shame, and had taken the woman's underwear as a keepsake. He then thanked me for calling them, and told me to not hesitate if I noticed anything strange. I hung up the phone, and have never forgotten what the cop told me. I later learned from other residents that several women had gone missing from the complex I lived at in the few months leading up to the incident. That is why I believe that, had I not gone out drinking that night, I would have been his next victim. And that is the story of how I accidentally caught a potential stalker/kidnapper/rapist.

I accidentally caught a potential stalker/kidnapper.

Comments (5) 9632 👁️