LEBANON, Ind. – Police arrested a man accused of breaking into an apartment andtrying to take a little girl.
Last Monday night, Lebanon police responded an apartment complex off North East Street. The 6-year-old girl’s grandparents were inside when an intruder broke in the front door and a bedroom door.
“I was sound asleep in my bedroom and this guy came kicking in and said, 'You have my daughter,'” said grandmother Patty Roth.
Lebanon police said 37-year-old Benjamin Dillon broke into the apartment and threatened to take the girl, claiming she was his daughter. The little girl and her grandmother were sleeping in a back bedroom.
“I was nervous, very nervous. I was shaking so bad,” said Roth.
Roth tells WXMI Dillon was determined to take her granddaughter. Roth’s husband got Dillon out of their apartment. When police showed up, Dillon became aggressive. According to the police report, he threatened officers and ended up fighting them. Officers used a Taser multiple times.
“I don’t understand why he picked our apartment. I’ll never figure that one out,” said Roth.
The girl’s grandparents believe Dillon was on drugs. Court records show Dillon has been in trouble before, already arrested twice so far this year on drug charges.
“I hope he gets the help he needs and I hope he gets himself back on his feet,” said Roth.
The 6-year-old girl told police she wasn’t hurt, just scared. The girl’s grandmother warned the stranger to stay away from her family and her home.
“I wouldn’t want him walking back in my apartment again. He will regret it the next time,” she said.
Dillon faces a long list of charges including burglary, battery on a law enforcement officer, and intimidation.
