She gave him some peanut butter, honey crackers, two protein drinks, and two tangerines.
An 87-year-old woman in Maine fought off a teenage intruder, then fed him after he told her he was “awfully hungry.” Here’s more on the terrifying break-in — and the woman’s extraordinary courage.
Marjorie Perkins, 87, fought off her intruder “with a chair”
According to NBC News, Marjorie Perkins woke abruptly on July 26 to see a shirtless young man looming over her. The intruder — who had also taken his pants off — threatened to “cut” her. She says she thought: “If he’s going to cut, then I’m going to kick.”
The pair fought, and “he kept knocking me against the wall, he put a bruise on my forehead and one on my cheek,” Perkins told CNN. She reportedly fended him off with a chair.
Thinking quickly, she gave him some snacks
Perkins said that once her assailant grew “tired” he headed to the kitchen, where he stopped by the sink. He then told Perkins that he was very hungry, and hadn’t eaten in a long time.
She gave him some peanut butter, honey crackers, two protein drinks, and two tangerines, quick thinking that she later attributed to her background as a teacher. The intruder left as Perkins was speaking to a 911 operator. She says he took his pants with him, but left his shoes, shirt, and knife behind.
Police have since apprehended the teenage culprit
The intruder, who’s not been named due to his age, has since been apprehended by the police. According to a police news release, the suspect didn’t have a knife on his person when he entered Perkins’ bedroom, but a knife was left behind after he departed. He’s been transferred to a youth development center, and charged with burglary, criminal threatening, assault, and a civil infraction: minor consuming liquor.
The intruder apparently lives close to Perkins, and she says she recalls him mowing her lawn when he was younger. Per NBC News, she still feels safe in her home, but worries about uncontrolled crime in the neighborhood.
“I think our law has just folded up,” she said.
