SEATTLE NEWS ARCHIVES & FEATURES
Redmond dad finds intruder standing over toddler
Aug 6, 2018, 5:47 PM | Updated: Aug 7, 2018, 7:07 am
(Free Images/Brad Harrison)
(Free Images/Brad Harrison)
Redmond dad Jon Erik Golob received the shock of his life when he caught an intruder bending over his child’s crib early one morning last week.
Upon getting up at about 7:30 one morning, Golob said he and his wife found their kitchen a mess and discovered a hole underneath their living room window near the door.
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It was when they looked in the baby monitor in the living room, however, that Golob and his wife received the biggest shock — a stranger was standing in their baby daughter’s room.
“I told my wife not to go in because we weren’t sure what was going on,” Golob told KIRO Radio’s Dori Monson. “And I grabbed a crowbar because I didn’t know if I needed to attack anyone or not.”
Thankfully, Golob’s baby daughter was unharmed. Golob said that the intruder, who appeared to be in his mid-20s, looked to be trying to comfort his daughter. The intruder seemed to have mental health issues rather than violent tendencies.
“In terms of motivation, it seems like this was a person who, for some reason, was driven to get into our house, but wasn’t doing it in order to damage or hurt anyone in there,” he said.
He got his child out of the room and proceeded to talk with the man to try to figure out what was going on. Golob, who has a medical background, said that the man showed common signs of Schizophrenia, such as disorganized and repetitive speech.
“I’m not too interested in the backstory; I’m just more just concerned about what will happen next for this person,” Golob said.
Police took the intruder away, but for Golob, the incident was a reminder to work every day to help those with mental illness.
“Think about mental health issues, support candidates and policies in the region that help support people with mental health issues,” Golob said. “Perhaps donate to causes that help with that as well.”