A woman fell asleep on a couch in her empty home, and awoke to a stranger stroking her cheek.
The man told her “You are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen,” claimed it was his house and insisted the woman had let him in.
She ran to a neighbor for help.
It was about 5:30 a.m. Sunday on Golden Given Road near Parkland.
The neighbor called 911, grabbed a pistol and went outside.
When the intruder stepped out of the woman's front door, the neighbor pointed the gun at him and demanded he stop but the man went back inside and shut the door.
Deputies arrived moments later and found the woman’s house empty. An unknown sedan was parked in the driveway.
The intruder apparently used a chair from the home to hop a backyard fence and flee.
An hour later, the intruder was spotted near the edge of Clover Creek. He told deputies he lived nearby and was searching for a lost pet.
“When the deputy told him he had frightened a very nice woman in her home, the suspect stated it was not her home, it was his,” according to the Sheriff’s Department.
The 47-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of first-degree burglary and booked into Pierce County Jail.
He allegedly thanked the deputies for their service as he was driven to jail.
The woman said she fell asleep on the couch watching television and doesn't know how the man got into her house.
Stacia Glenn; 253-597-8653
Scroll down to continue reading
More news from KIRO 7
- Photos: Royal baby born: Kate Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge, welcomes third child
- California couple tortured, burned Vietnam veteran as children watched, police say
- Earthquake expert: We can't predict or warn you about the 'Big One'
- Teacher suspended for making pancakes for students during state tests
- Man who offered to buy pre-teen underwear found with machete, hatchet, duct tape