According to the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office, a registered sex offender broke into the home of an Arizona mother, but the mother’s quick actions allowed her to save her daughter, Fox 10 reported.
A mother, her 12-year-old daughter, and her 16-year-old son were all sleeping when 54-year-old Prescott resident Lloyd Beard allegedly broke into their home at 3 a.m. on Wednesday.
The Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office was dispatched to a trespassing call in Paulden after a Prescott man allegedly broke into a home occupied by Mayla Hogan and her two children, 12 News reported.
Yavapai County deputies say Beard got into the daughter’s bed and started touching her face.
“The daughter was able to wake her mother, who physically removed Beard from the residence when he refused to leave,” officials said in a statement. “She then confronted him in the yard where he was exposing himself and threatening to “drop her.”
“I was telling him to get out, and I was opening the door because he just wasn’t responding. And, of course, I physically removed him from the house. But when I did that, I was able to tell that his pants were down,” said Hogan.
Beard took off running as the mother and her teenage son chased after him. The suspect was later apprehended by deputies, who found him lying on the ground with his pants down. He had sustained minor injuries from the scuffle with the mother.
“If I’m being honest, my mom got a couple, a lot of hits in,” Hogan’s son said.
The Prescott man was taken to the hospital but was later released. He is now being charged with aggravated assault, burglary, criminal trespass, indecent exposure, voyeurism, and disorderly conduct, among other offenses.
“The quick action of the mother saved not only her daughter from further trauma but managed to help take a dangerous predator off the streets,” officials said.
“By the grace of God I’m a rough neck, by the grace of God I have good children, and by that same grace of god we will prevail,” said Hogan.
“Violent sexual crimes against children are among the most heinous offenses I can think of. I am always as shocked as all of you at the capacity of these appalling offenders to prey on the vulnerable,” said Yavapai County Sheriff David Rhodes.
Beard, a level 3 sex offender, registered with the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office last week. He had previously committed an “invasion of privacy for sexual gratification” offense in Colorado.