South Sound News

Intruder appearing in women's bedrooms in Mason County

SHELTON, Wash. — An intruder is getting into bedrooms in Mason County through unlocked doors.

"He was standing on this chair up here like this," said Bethany Brown. "And he was touching my feet, about right here."

She showed where she was when awakened in the middle of the night last summer.

"And then when I woke up," she said,  "He had gone off over here and disappeared around the corner."

It was 3:30 in the morning.

"So that was in July?" she was asked.

"Last year, yeah," she said.

"And now?"

"And now, April 6th," said Brown.

He showed up here again.

"I woke up and saw a figure standing behind the lamp shade," she remembered, "standing on top of a ladder."

Incredibly, six young women in Mason County have reported something similar happening to them. But many didn't call 911.  So police didn't make the connection until it happened here on West Alder Street late last week.

"We started piecing more and more together," said Shelton Police Chief Darrin Moody. "And I contacted the (Mason County) Sheriff's Office and said 'I think we share some of the same things here.' "

There are striking coincidences. The women are 17 to 22 years old. They live with other people. They work in the service industry.  And they are avid users of social media especially Facebook.

The intruder is described as white, 5 feet 10 inches to 6 feet tall, with a medium to thin build, dark shaggy hair, wearing dark clothing and a zip-up hoodie.

"It's concerning," said Mason County Sheriff Casey Salisbury. "And it concerns me that it could escalate. Now that you're inside the house what could come next?"

It has already changed Bethany's life.

"I can't really sleep," she said. "I have anxiety really bad."

The authorities here in Mason County are advising residents to lock their doors whether they live in the city or the county. Also, if this man has visited, they would like to know.

And, of course, if you know who he is, you're asked to call 911.