A Kansas child’s fears of a monster under the bed became reality, when the babysitter discovered a criminal hiding there.
Real life monster under the bed
Deputies from the Barton County Sheriff’s Office were called to the scene around 10:30 p.m. on March 24, after a report of a disturbance inside the home.
The child had reportedly complained about a “monster” under their bed, prompting the babysitter to look underneath to reassure them.
Instead of finding an imaginary creature, the babysitter encountered 27-year-old Martin Villalobos Jr., who was concealed beneath the mattress.
“When putting the children to bed, one child complained there was a ‘monster’ under their bed. When the victim attempted to show the child there was nothing under the bed, she came face-to-face with a male suspect who was hiding there,” officials reported in a press release.
Police stated that a physical struggle between the babysitter and suspect followed the unexpected discovery. During the confrontation, one of the children knocked to the ground.
Villalobos then managed to flee the residence before deputies could arrive on scene.
Monster under the bed used to live at the residence
Further investigation revealed that Villalobos had a previous connection to the residence. According to officials, he had formerly lived in the home but had been legally ordered to stay away.
A protection from abuse order had been issued to prevent him from returning to the property.
The following morning, law enforcement was able to find Villalobos, who fled on foot before they ultimately apprehended him.
He was transported to the Barton County Jail and booked on several felony charges, including aggravated kidnapping, aggravated burglary, aggravated battery, endangering a child, obstruction of a law enforcement officer, and violating a court-ordered protection from abuse. His bond was set at $500,000.
Court records obtained by KOAM News revealed that Villalobos had previously been arrested for violating a protection from abuse order.
He was out on bond from that case as recently as January. The conditions of that bond required him to follow the law, maintain communication with his attorney, and avoid any contact with the individuals involved in the prior incident.
Home owner discovers someone living in his basement
In an unrelated but equally unsettlingly similar incident in Utah, a Salt Lake City man discovered that a stranger had been secretly living in the storage space of his basement for several days.
Zeb Pischnotte told KSL-TV that unusual occurrences in his home eventually led to him discovering the intruder. He said that on March 18, during a storm, someone broke into the house he shares with a roommate.
Items taken in the burglary included his grandfather’s cufflinks, a gold ring, and his college letterman jacket. Police were called and conducted a search, but nothing was initially found.
A few days later, his pet cat, Ziggy, began acting out of the ordinary. Pischnotte noticed the cat meowing persistently at the laundry room door, which is typically left open for access to Ziggy’s litter box. The door, however, was shut.
Later the same day, Pischnotte found that wine bottles had been moved. When he questioned his roommate, who denied imbibing, the pair grew suspicious that someone might be hiding in the basement. Armed with a ski, they opened the storage room door to investigate.
Inside, they found evidence that someone had been living there. Scattered on the floor were empty cans, several opened tins of beans, around 10 empty wine bottles, and a dirty fleece blanket.
Pischnotte believes the individual had taken up residence there for multiple days. “Long story short, it’s very likely that the person was living in that room for about four days,” he explained.
He also said it appeared the person used Ziggy’s litter box as a makeshift toilet. Additionally, they had rummaged through stored belongings, including old student IDs and personal documents.
“This person was either very bored or very intent on trying to get my identity,” Pischnotte noted, suggesting identity theft may have been a motive.
Pischnotte is now asking the public for help recovering the sentimental and personal items that were stolen. He also spoke directly to the intruder during the interview.
“I don’t know why you thought you had to destroy property and steal things in order to make ends meet,” Pischnotte said. “There are a lot of resources out there for homeless people, and I would really encourage you to look at those and take advantage of them. Heck, if you had just asked me for a coat or a blanket, I might have provided you one.”
Reflecting on the experience, Pischnotte said the discovery has had a lasting effect on his sense of well-being.
“It just shattered the peace of mind that I have,” he said. “This feels like a very safe neighborhood.”
