Terrified at 2 a.m.

You wonder how you would react to an attempted break-in, yet when it happens, your mind scrambles in disbelief. When it happens at 2 a.m., you aren’t quite thinking clearly.

Terrified: To be frightened, scared, panicked, and shocked.

I know each of those definitions quite well. Recently, they all occurred at the same time.

A few weeks ago, I woke up to a loud Kathud, Kathud coming from our front porch, which is on the other side of our bedroom wall.

As I relive it while writing, I can feel the anxiety returning, not as strongly, but it is still there. I wonder if it will always be there.

Here is what happened in the middle of the night …

I hear what sounds like someone tripping up the steps on our porch.

I look at my phone. The time is 2:01 a.m.  About the time I open up the RING app on my phone, I hear the doorbell. I see a figure on the camera as I walk toward the door and hear and see the doorknob rattle. Thank goodness we always keep our doors locked.

As I press 911, I see the person leave the porch and walk toward our neighbor’s house. As the dispatcher asks me more questions than my terrified mind can answer, I see the person walk onto the neighbor’s porch.

In less than five minutes, the Noblesville Police Department arrives. The young officer walks around my house while I watch other officers with searchlights canvass our neighborhood.

My heart is pounding harder than ever. I’m shaking.

The young officer rings the doorbell and steps inside, reassuring me that they are searching for the person who just tried to break into our home.

He tells me that, more than likely, the person was intoxicated and that their Uber driver dropped them off at the wrong address. That makes sense. He also tells me the person was fortunate to have chosen my house rather than someone with a gun, ready to defend their home and its occupants. It’s happened before, and the outcome was not good.

I sent a message to my neighbor, who told me he had opened the door, confronted the person, and captured the person’s face on his RING camera. He said the person was definitely very intoxicated.

I continue to see spotlights searching the streets. The NPD is doing its due diligence to protect and serve.

I lie down on our sofa and cover up with a blanket. I doubt I’ll fall back asleep. My mind turns to Nancy Guthrie and how terrified she must have been when she was taken from her home in the middle of the night. I pray for her. I pray for Savannah, her daughter, and her family.

The next day, I called the non-emergency number to speak with an officer, who told me they had found and arrested the intoxicated person. There is more to the story, but I will not share it.

I have advice for my readers.

• Keep your doors locked at all times.
• Get a RING or BLINK camera and pay for the subscription to record activity.
• When taking an Uber, make sure you are dropped off at the correct address.
• Appreciate your law enforcement officers. You may need them.

This individual took away my sense of safety in my neighborhood. I have prayed for them and hope they receive the help they need.

That middle-of-the-night, terrifying encounter with a possible intruder will live with me for the rest of my life. I now know how I will react to an attempted break-in.

Thank you to the Noblesville Police Department for responding quickly. I pray for our law enforcement officers. What they deal with and see has to leave them shaken at times.

I hope I never have another occasion to write about an encounter like this.

Just to let you all know: my husband is a very sound sleeper.

Janet Hart Leonard can be contacted at janethartleonard@gmail.com or followed on Facebook or Instagram (@janethartleonard). She is the recipient of the Reporter’s Spring 2025 Ink-Stained Wretch award. Visit janethartleonard.com.