A 14-year-old girl from Massachusetts scared a man who allegedly broke into her home on Friday morning – and her quick thinking later helped police catch the suspects, according to the Middleborough Police Department. Her mother told CBS Boston that the girl armed herself with two steak knives before calling the intruder to leave.
Police said the girl, identified as Avery Cormier of CBS Boston, woke up around 7:20 a.m. to the sound of someone in her home. She then “bravely confronted” the man, later identified as 58-year-old Joseph Ridge, forcing him to flee – and as he escaped, she videotaped the driver’s car, which included his license plate.
“I took him out of the house. I scared him,” the girl told a 911 dispatcher in an audio broadcast by police. “I made a video of his truck leaving to get his registration number.”
AUDIO: The actions of brave teenagers, Calling 911 to the police in Middleborough leads to the arrest of a burglary suspect https://t.co/wCcxwTeKbI
– Middleborough Police (@MiddleboroughPD) April 15, 2022
Cormier’s mother, Diane Tautkus, told CBS Boston that her daughter scared Ridge while she was holding two steak knives. Police confirmed at a news conference Saturday afternoon that they told them she grabbed the knife before confronting the intruder.
“I really didn’t realize she had the strength to stay so calm under fire,” Tautkus said. He took two kitchen steaks and she came back, stood in front of the door and started shouting at him, “Get out of my house.” Get out of my house. You don’t belong here. “
Ridge was detained shortly afterwards and charged with aggravated intrusion and entry during the day, border violations and hooliganism, police said. The department said Ridge was “well known” to police and was released on bail for an “unrelated incident”.
Police said Ridge had been charged more than 130 times before his arrest on Friday and had a “history of violence”. They also said he had no specific connection to the family.
“I would like to congratulate this girl’s courageous actions. Even in the midst of an extremely terrible event, her courage helped us identify the man believed to be responsible for breaking into her home,” said Middleborough Police Chief Joseph Perkins. . Perkins said she was an honorary student who was home for the day because it was Good Friday, according to CBS Boston.
In a lawsuit Friday, a judge set Ridge’s bail at $ 200,000, CBS Boston reported. If Ridge is released on bail, he will have to be placed under house arrest with a GPS monitor.
“The suspect in this case is a career criminal who was arrested after terrorizing a 14-year-old girl in his own home,” Perkins added. “We hope that his arrest this time will bring this notorious criminal to justice for his crimes.”
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Victoria Albert
Victoria Albert is a senior news editor at CBS News. Contact her at victoria.albert@viacomcbs.com
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