KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) – On December 19, the Knoxville Police Department responded to a call of an intruder inside Daphne Crowley’s apartment.
Crowley said she was returning home that day, waiting for her daughter to answer the door.
The mother said once her daughter opened the door, they realized a stranger was inside their home wearing nothing but a brand new pair of shoes that belonged to her daughter.
Crowley said she told her daughter to call the police, while she went after the intruder.
“I chased him with these sticks cause had I got a hold of him, I would have beat him. But he ran down the street into this pathway,” shared Crowley.
Once KPD officers arrived on the scene, they were able to find and arrest wanted sex offender 27-year-old Michael Tyler Henegar in a wooded area near Crowley’s apartment.
Officials reported finding several of Crowley’s belongings, including a Scooby-Doo handbag, and an impact drill.
Crowley said she’s glad Henegar was caught, and she plans to get an alarm system installed soon.
She believed Henegar came in through the patio door, that her grandchild left unlocked.
Until she gets the alarm system, Crowley has her sofa blocking the patio door entrance to her apartment.
“I’m calm now, but at the time I was literally shaking and cried because it’s scary. You think these people are in your house and they are sex offenders and you have your kids running around and you’re thinking you’re safe,” said Crowley.
KPD reported Henegar was convicted of sexual exploitation of a 14-year-old girl by electronic means in 2014, and has a history of numerous violations for not registering as a sex offender.
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