Grandparents thwart man's attempt to abduct 6-year-old from Indiana apartment, police say



LEBANON, Ind. – Police arrested a man accused of trying to take a little girl from her grandparents' Indiana apartment.

Last Monday night, 37-year-old Benjamin Dillon broke through the front door and a bedroom door inside the apartment and threatened to take the girl, claiming she was his daughter, Lebanon police said.

Police said the 6-year-old girl and her grandmother were sleeping in a back bedroom when he forced his way in.

“I was sound asleep in my bedroom and this guy came kicking in and said, 'You have my daughter,'” recalled grandmother Patty Roth.



“I was nervous, very nervous. I was shaking so bad,” said Roth.

Roth told WXIN Dillon was determined to take her granddaughter, but her husband got Dillon out of their apartment. When police showed up, Dillon became aggressive. According to the police report, he threatened officers and ended up fighting them. Officers used a Taser multiple times.



“I don’t understand why he picked our apartment. I’ll never figure that one out,” said Roth.

The girl’s grandparents believe Dillon was on drugs.  Court records show Dillon has been in trouble before, already arrested twice so far this year on drug charges.

“I hope he gets the help he needs and I hope he gets himself back on his feet,” said Roth.

The 6-year-old girl told police she wasn’t hurt, just scared.  The girl’s grandmother warned the stranger to stay away from her family and her home.

“I wouldn’t want him walking back in my apartment again. He will regret it the next time,” she said.

Dillon faces a long list of charges including burglary, battery on a law enforcement officer, and intimidation.