KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) – On December 19, the Knoxville Police Department answered a call from an intruder inside Daphne Crowley’s apartment.
Crowley said she was returning home that day, waiting for her daughter to open the door.
The mother said when her daughter opened the door, they realized a stranger was inside their home, wearing nothing but a pair of her daughter’s brand new shoes.
Crowley said she told her daughter to call the police, while she chased the intruder.
“I chased him with these sticks because if I got a hold of him, I would hit him. But he ran down the street into this street,” Crowley shared.
When KPD officers arrive at the scene, they can find and arrest wanted sex offender Michael Tyler Henegar, 27 years old in a wooded area near Crowley’s apartment.
Officials said several of Crowley’s belongings were found, including a Scooby-Doo handbag and an impact drill.
Crowley said she’s glad she’s caught Henegar, and she plans to install an alarm system soon.
She believes that Henegar entered through the porch door, which her grandson did not lock.
Until the alarm was received, Crowley had her sofa block the entrance to the courtyard door in her apartment.
“I’m calm now, but at the time I was really shaking and crying because it was so scary. You think these people are in your house and they’re sex offenders and you have your kids running around and you’re thinking you’re safe,” Crowley said.
KPD reported that Henegar was found guilty of sexually exploiting a 14-year-old girl electronically in 2014 and has a history of repeated violations for not registering as a sex offender.
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