"I wasn't scared:" Elderly woman scares off intruder suspected of living in nearby camper



CALEDONIA -- An attempted home invasion in Caledonia is thwarted by a 92-year-old woman! The incident all started at a home located on E. Frontage Road along I-94 in Caledonia. It turns out the suspect is a neighbor, the elderly woman didn't even know she had.

Verne Funk



Her eyes have seen a lot over the last 92 years. So much so, that when 92-year-old Verne Funk heard a noise at her window Sunday afternoon...

"I wasn't scared," said Funk.

What she saw through the glass, didn't seem to faze her.

"He looked like an ordinary person! He took the screen off and he was trying to get the window open," said Funk.

"Took the window out of the garage, got in there. There wasn't anything of any value," said Jake Ehleiter, Funk's grandson.

"I went to the window and I tapped on it -- away he went," said Funk.

Police were called and officials spent the next hour searching the wooded area around Funk's home. They didn't find the suspect, but they did find a 15x20 foot burned-out camper -- parked close to Funk's home about 50 yards away.

"They think it was a homeless guy. I didn't know there was a camper back there," said Funk.



Police say the suspect is a known man, about 50-years-old, and could be armed.

All of this is prompting Funk to give all of us advice that never gets old:

"Keep their doors locked," said Funk.

Caledonia police are still looking for this suspect. He is described as a 50-year-old white man, 6’0″ tall, 180 pounds, brown hair and hazel eyes. Funk says he is clean-shaven.

Police say you should not confront him, as he is known to have weapons.

If you have any information regarding this suspect, you are asked to call the Caledonia Police Department at 262-835-4423.