Family’s Nightmare: Home Intruder Confronted Just Steps Away from Children’s Bedrooms

In the dead of night, Kevin and Sarah Root experienced what they describe as “every parent’s worst nightmare” when they awoke to the sound of an intruder walking up the stairs of their southwest Denver home. Around 3:30 a.m., the couple heard footsteps approaching their bedroom. “We looked at each other and said, ‘Somebody’s in our house,'” Kevin recalled in an interview with Fox News Digital. “You realize you’re not dreaming — this is real.” While Sarah grabbed her phone to call 911, Kevin went to investigate, discovering a stranger heading toward their children’s bedrooms. The terrifying confrontation that followed would leave this family shaken but thankfully unharmed, as they faced the raw fear of protecting their four sleeping sons from an unknown threat that had violated the sanctuary of their home.

The moment of confrontation remains etched in both parents’ memories, with Sarah describing the overwhelming anxiety as her husband prepared to confront the intruder. “The fear of what’s going to happen when my husband opens the door, that’s what replays in my mind the most,” she shared. After shouting warnings that went unheeded as the intruder continued toward their children’s rooms, Kevin took decisive action. “When he paused at the top of the stairs, I whipped open the door, jumped out and pushed him as hard as I could down the stairs,” he explained. Meanwhile, Sarah remained on the phone with emergency dispatchers, desperately monitoring the front door while trying to comfort one of their sons who had awakened. “I just remember repeating over and over, ‘Are you sure the cops are on their way?'” she recalled of those agonizing minutes that “feels like three hours” before police lights finally appeared outside their home.

The intruder, identified as 36-year-old Charley Cooley, was quickly apprehended by responding officers. While the family escaped physical harm, the emotional impact has been profound. “It’s been a process. My sleep has been pretty difficult, and I still replay the moment when I look at our bedroom door,” Sarah explained. “It feels like a loss, the loss of feeling safe in our home.” The family later learned something that compounded their trauma: Cooley had been arrested just months earlier for another felony robbery charge. Court records revealed he had been released after posting just $500 cash bail in September, a discovery that left the Roots stunned and questioning the system meant to protect them. “We found out later about his criminal background, and that stirred up a whole new layer of emotion,” Sarah said. “It feels unsettling that something so invasive and violating is permitted to happen, and the person is back on the street.”

Despite their understandable anger about Cooley’s prior release, Kevin has tried to maintain perspective and even compassion. “I hope he’s able to get the help he needs,” he reflected. “I don’t think he wants to be doing this with his life. Maybe this is a rock-bottom moment for him.” Both parents expressed gratitude that their children never saw the intruder and that no one, including Cooley, was physically harmed during the encounter. “We didn’t see his face, even Kevin can’t picture him,” Sarah noted. “That’s actually a blessing. We don’t have that image haunting us.” The couple’s four sons were asleep throughout most of the incident, sparing them the direct trauma their parents experienced, though the family now faces the challenge of rebuilding their sense of security within their own home.

The break-in has rippled beyond the Root household, affecting neighbors who reported feeling less secure in their community following the incident. Denver police have responded by reminding residents to take basic safety precautions: lock doors and windows, install exterior lighting, and report suspicious activity promptly. For the Roots, these security measures now carry new weight as they work to restore normalcy for their family. Sarah’s statement reflects both their ongoing struggle and their determination to move forward: “We’re so thankful no one was hurt, including him. We hope there’s justice and that he’s placed somewhere that prevents him from hurting anyone else.” Their story highlights both the immediate terror of such an invasion and the lingering effects that continue long after police lights have faded from view.

When contacted about Cooley’s case, the Denver District Attorney’s Office declined to provide details, stating only that “This case has not reached a final disposition. It is the position of this office that we do not release records on pending cases so as not to compromise the integrity of the case.” This official silence offers little comfort to families like the Roots who find themselves confronting not only the trauma of a home invasion but also questions about a justice system that allowed a repeat offender back on the streets. Their experience serves as a stark reminder of how quickly safety can be compromised and the complex emotional aftermath that follows when a stranger breaches the threshold of a family home. As they work through their recovery, the Roots’ story resonates as both a cautionary tale and a testament to parental instinct in the face of immediate danger to their children.