BY KEITH EPPS

A 54-year-old Stafford woman confronted and scared off an intruder who had entered her home early Wednesday, police said.

Sheriff's spokesman Bill Kennedy said the incident occurred about 4:11 a.m. on Bellows Avenue in the Olde Forge subdivision in southern Stafford. The resident reported that she woke up and noticed that her roommate's bedroom door was partially open.

The roommate was away and the door had been closed earlier, so the resident got up to investigate. Kennedy said she opened the door and saw a young man standing in a closet not moving.

She asked the intruder what he was doing, and the young man gave no reply. He suddenly bolted out of the room, down the stairs and out the back door. He then jumped a fence and ran out of sight; nothing was taken from the home.

Deputy Shawn Efimenco, other officers and a police dog, responded to the woman's call and searched for the suspect but were unable to find him.

The suspect was described as a short black male, 18 to 25 years old, weighing 120 to 150 pounds. He had a shaved head and was wearing a black T-shirt, red shorts. Anyone with information is asked to call the Sheriff's Office at 540/658-4400 or Crime Solvers at 540/659-2020.

Keith Epps: 540/374-5404
Email: kepps@freelancestar.com