Mother Fights Off Predator Who Chased Down Two Young Girls into Home
For those of us who are parents, few things are as frightening as those who might threaten our children. In fact, any hint of violence that threatens the little lives in our care brings out the grizzly in us.
That was something Lowell, Massachusetts, resident Maureen Santos learned on June 17. A scream was her first clue that something was wrong.
Her 11-year-old daughter, Elizabeth, had been playing outside with a 9-year-old friend. The girl had suddenly noticed a man peering at her from the cover of a nearby tree.
“He just stared at me like he was a bull, and I had a red flag on, and he just came charging at us,” Elizabeth told WCVB. She ran inside with her friend, and “I threw my friend in the bathroom.
“I closed the door on her. I locked the other door.”
That was went Santos swung into action. Running toward the commotion, she found the man — a homeless person named Wayne Spencer — standing in her home.
“I grabbed a hold of him,” she explained to WHDH. “I just, you know, have a lot in [sic] strength in you and a lot of adrenaline in you.”
Santos quickly forced the interloper outside, and others came to help. The nine year old’s father ran after Spencer and forced him to the ground with the help of a neighbor named Brian Hackett.
“We just wanted to make sure the kids were safe,” Hackett said. “That’s all we cared about.”
Their concern was warranted. In addition to his attack on the girls, police records showed 46 past arraignments.
The charges ranged from resisting arrest and open and gross lewdness to assault and battery. What’s more, court psychologist Dr. Andrea Buonaugurio said he didn’t seem to understand the charges against him.
Spencer screamed obscenities at her during her questioning while simultaneously denying he had any mental-health problems. “Although he appears aware of the court process and those present in the courtroom, he doesn’t appear to really have a firm grasp of the nature of his charges or the potential penalty to his charges,” Buonaugurio said.
Thankfully, the two girls remained unharmed following the ordeal.
“I’m proud of her. She really did an amazing job. She did everything right. My husband and I can’t be more proud of her,” Santos said about Elizabeth.
One shudders to think what might’ve happened had Santos not heard that scream. But thanks to her bravery, the worst was avoided and a dangerous man brought in off the street.
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