Babysitter checked for ‘monster’ under the bed, found man hiding, Kansas sheriff says
A man was arrested after being found hiding under a child’s bed in a central Kansas home and fleeing from deputies.
The 27-year-old man was booked into the Barton County Jail on suspicion of aggravated kidnapping, aggravated burglary, aggravated battery, child endangerment and violation of a protect from abuse order, according to a Barton County Sheriff’s Office news release.
Barton deputies were called at 10:30 p.m. Monday to a disturbance call at a house in the 2000 block of Patton Road, just outside of Great Bend.
Deputies talked to a babysitter who was watching children at the home. She said while putting the children to bed, one said there was a “monster” under their bed.
“When the victim [babysitter] attempted to show the child there was nothing under the bed, she came face-to-face with a male suspect who was hiding there,” BCSO sheriff Brian Bellendir said. “An altercation ensued with the babysitter and one child being knocked over in the struggle.”
The man fled the home and could not be found. Officers learned the suspect used to live in the home, but there was a protect from abuse order against him to stay away from the property, Bellendir added.
The next day, deputies spotted the man in the area of the home; he attempted to run again. He was apprehended after a short foot chase.
Great Bend is a city of about 14,370 and is 108 miles northwest of Wichita.
This story was originally published March 26, 2025 at 12:34 PM with the headline "Babysitter checked for ‘monster’ under the bed, found man hiding, Kansas sheriff says."