A young Windsor woman is sharing the details of a break in at her home, including the moments she said she thought might be her last
“I was mentally preparing for the worst because you could tell this guy was super angry,” she said
She asked not to be identified for fear of retribution, so CTV News Windsor is calling her Grace in order to protect her identity
It was shortly before midnight on Feb. 9, 2024, a time when Grace said she’d usually be out at a bar, but this particular night she stayed home while her roommates went out
She was alone and just dozing off when she heard a frightening sound
“I woke up to this banging,” she recalled. “It sounded like somebody fully kicking the door. Angry. Trying to get in.”
It turns out that’s exactly what it was, as a muddy boot print is still visible on the front door four days later
“I was scared. I was really scared,” she said
Grace said she called out to ask if any of her roommates were home. They weren’t, and the man was getting in
She ran down the stairs to hide, when the intruder followed her
“He keeps saying, ‘Where is she?’ And saying she owes him money or something like that,” Grace explained
She said she tried to discretely call 9-1-1 on her cell phone but couldn’t communicate with the operator. That’s when the intruder got too close for comfort
“This guy came up to me and was hugging me and telling me, ‘It’s okay,’ because I was crying,” she said. “He was calling me pretty and stuff and I was just like trying not to freak out.”
Grace said the man appeared to be on drugs and even asked her if she had any. That is how she ended up escaping
“I was like, ‘Let’s go look for some,’” she said. “Then he went in a different direction so I ran up the stairs and out the front door
“I just kept running and I called the cops,” she said
The Windsor Police Service confirmed to CTV News Windsor they are investigating the incident, but did not respond to a follow up question about whether or not Victim Assistance Services would be offered to Grace after the ordeal
She said she was disappointed with a lack of support from law enforcement
“Would they want that to happen to their daughters?” she asked
She said she feels the intruder was treated with more kindness then she was that night
“He was literally being interviewed in my living room. Sitting in my chair and stuff,” said Grace
Police brought an ambulance to her home to assess the man, but his jacket was left behind and hadn’t been picked up when CTV News Windsor spoke to her on Tuesday
Grace is worried he might come back for it
She said she would be pursuing charges against the man for the ordeal
“Girls should be able to have their doors locked, their windows locked and feel safe to go to bed,” she said