LAKE WALES, Fla. — Paris Hall, 12, says she was terrified to wake up Monday morning to find a burglar in her room. But, she will also tell you she remained calm, cool, and collected.
Her grandparents think her calm demeanor helped keep her safe. Paris thinks so too.
“I feel like if I would’ve got scared, he would’ve got scared,” Hall told ABC Action News reporter Michael Paluska.
Hall was home alone and said she heard her light switch turn on around 9 a.m. Monday morning. At first, she thought a family member was in her room. Then she saw a man she didn’t recognize.
“I had rolled over and I seen some stranger looking behind my TV so I was kind of confused and said ‘excuse me what are you doing?’ I had an old phone that doesn’t work, it was sitting on my dresser. So, I guess, he looked at that and made up an excuse; 'Oh my uncle told me to come get my phone’ and in my mind, I was thinking OK. I guess my granddad must be his uncle.”
She still told the man to leave. When he went out the back door she was even more confused. Then she saw the kitchen window was shattered.
“I put two and two together and figured my granddad wasn’t his uncle,” Paris said. “I was very scared at that point I didn’t know what to do.”
She called for help. Her granddad told her to run to a neighbors house and call 911. When she ran out the front door the man was waiting for her.
“He was standing in the front yard and he asked me ‘what time do your parents get back home?’ I was really calm about it cause I didn’t want to trigger him or alarm him. He said ‘do you want to come outside and chill with me for a little while?’ Then I went in the house and got a knife and then I told him to leave. I went over to the neighbor's house I was scared I was crying my heart was beating.”
Paris is scared to be in the house alone or sleep by herself. She hopes someone will recognize the man and call police.
The suspect is described as a black male, approximately 5’ 7’, short hair wearing a white hat particle facial hair, white shirt with red and blue stripes, aside washed shorts, and red, white, and blue Air Jordan shoes.
If you have any information on the identity of the suspect contact Detective Metz at 863-678-4223.
