When a man found a woman and child he didn’t know inside his Johnson County home, he first tried to talk with her.
The woman yelled at the homeowner, telling him it was her home. He got his gun and asked her to get out of his house, and when she still didn’t leave, he walked outside and called police.
Investigators are trying to determine what led the woman to the man’s home, but Sheriff Doug Cox said the resident handled the situation appropriately.
At about 1:30 p.m., a homeowner in the 2000 block of S. County Road 225W, north of Trafalgar, called police after finding Shameka Benjamin, 31, with her 2-year-old son inside his home. Benjamin had come in through a back door, and began yelling, telling the resident it was her home.
The resident told police he had never seen Benjamin before, the report said.
He got his gun and ordered Benjamin to leave, but she was unfazed. He then walked outside to calm the situation and wait for police, and she locked the door him.
Residents have a legal right to protect themselves in their homes, so arming himself was appropriate as he would have no way to know if Benjamin was a threat to him, Cox said.
“I have no problem with what he did to de-escalate,” Cox said.
Police kicked in the back door and found Benjamin in an upstairs bedroom with her son. Police convinced her to let go of the boy and then handcuffed her. She told deputies her name was Irie and refused to provide a last name, saying she was involved in a domestic case and asked to speak to her attorney, the report said.
The woman told deputies that she lived at the home, but was unable to tell them the address, the report said. Police found a vehicle registration in her car and contacted police in Auburn to get a photo, the report said.
Investigators believe the woman may have mental health issues and were able to make contact with family members of Benjamin who live in northern Indiana, Cox said.
Benjamin, 1255 Rohn Drive, Auburn, was arrested on a charge of residential entry. The Indiana Department of Child Services was contacted to pick up her son.
She was arrested and taken to the Johnson County jail, where she was held on $1,200 bond.
