A man broke into an Indiana woman’s home and was shocked when he learned one thing about her that he could not have predicted.
Karen Dolley, 43, woke up at midnight to find a stranger standing in the hallway of her Indianapolis home. She immediately jumped into action.
“I could see the guy standing right about here and I just came out of the bathroom and started punching, [saying] get out, get out, get out,” Dolley told WXIN.
What the intruder didn’t know is that Dolley is trained in medieval combat.
Dolley punched the man in the face at least 10 times, but the man was deflecting the punches with his hands.
“I didn’t think I was getting good blows in but my knuckles are bruised today,” Dolley told the IndyStar. “Hitting someone like that, it isn’t like the movies. You’re expecting it to be louder and see people jerk around, but that’s not how it happens in real life.”
That’s when she grabbed something the intruder did not see coming: a Japanese combat sword.
“It is 440C stainless steel, it has an edge and it will cut,” she said.
Dolley pinned the man down using the blade and waited for police to arrive.
“I just held the knife down on him like this while he was on the floor, and I was calling 911 with the other hand,” Dolley said.
Police soon arrived and took 30-year-old Jacob Wessel into custody. Wessel was taken to a nearby hospital to be examined before being arrested and charged with residential entry.
Police said Wessel was high on an unknown substance when he broke into Dolley’s house. He told officers several times that he was hiding from somebody.
Wessel reportedly did not put up a fight once Dolley pulled out her sword and even apologized to her as he was removed from the home.
“If he would have behaved in a slightly different manner he would not have gotten out of here alive,” Dolley said. “I’m really, really, glad I didn’t have to do anything more. I know I could do it, but I don’t want to do that.”
Dolley said the only thing that she is upset about it that the intruder ruined her sleep and irritated her cat.
“At the end of the day, I’m glad to know that even if I wake up in the middle of the night, I’m not going down without a fight,” she said.