WTHRA grandfather threw a man who allegedly broke into his house to kidnap his granddaughter into the street, for him to be beaten up by police.
Benjamin Dillon, 37, is accused of breaking into an apartment in Lebanon, Indiana, and trying to kidnap a six-year-old girl.
The child’s grandparents were asleep in their bedroom when they say they heard a man storming into their apartment and screaming that his daughter was inside. Now though, Dillon claims it’s all a misunderstanding.
As reported by WTHR Eyewitness News, witnesses say Dillon kicked his way into the family’s apartment in the middle of the night.
The girl’s grandparents, Martin and Patricia Roth, managed to fight him off and keep him away from the child until the police arrived – at which point Dillon claims he was ‘beat up’.
Speaking to WTHR from inside the Boone County Jail, the 37-year-old said:
I was kinda beat up.
Dillon was then asked if he resisted arrest, to which he replied: ‘I don’t believe I was, no.’
WTHRAccording to the police report, officers found the suspect outside ‘shirtless and very agitated, insisting there was a little girl in the apartment being raped’, and that ‘the little girl was his daughter’.
When as many as eight police officers arrived, Dillon allegedly threatened ‘he would fight all of us and kill us [the police]’. The police report then states three taser shots had no effect, with the man continuing to ‘kick’ officers once handcuffed.
The girl’s grandparents said they had never seen the man before and told police Dillon kept insisting he ‘was taking the child’.
Although police say the 37-year-old committed crimes which could put him in prison for years – including burglary, resisting law enforcement and intimidation – Dillon remains adamant ‘it was a big misunderstanding’.
WTHRDillon told WTHR:
I think it was a big misunderstanding. I know I physically fought with police officers but I never physically broke into the place.
I was under the impression that maybe my daughter might be over there in that apartment complex.
I am truly sorry for coming to your apartment door, for waking you up. I know I didn’t kick you door in. It’s a mistake.
WTHRDillon was awaiting trial on previously-filed drug charges at the time of the incident.
He is currently jailed on bonds totalling $75,000 and says he’s enrolled in a substance abuse treatment programme.
The little girl told police she was not hurt, just scared.
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A Broadcast Journalism Masters graduate who went on to achieve an NCTJ level 3 Diploma in Journalism, Lucy has done stints at ITV, BBC Inside Out and Key 103. While working as a journalist for UNILAD, Lucy has reported on breaking news stories while also writing features about mental health, cervical screening awareness, and Little Mix (who she is unapologetically obsessed with).