87-Year-Old Thwarts Intruder Like True Grandmother, Feeds Him Then Calls Cops On Rotary Phone

An elderly woman in Maine thwarted a criminal in a way only an old lady could: with snacks and antiquated technology.

87-year-old Marjorie Perkins woke up in the middle of the night to one of the few things worse than waking up to a dog puking on the carpet: a guy with a knife standing over your bed.

Perkins told the Associated Press that she went straight into fight mode during the encounter.

"I thought to myself, he's going to cut, then I’m going to kick," she said.

She did just that. After putting on her shoes she fought back against the intruder and suffered a few bumps and bruises after the person hit her.

After that, the intruder went to the kitchen. Instead of using this as an opportunity to escape or hide, the octagenarian's grandmotherly instincts kicked in. She said that the assailant was "awfully hungry and wound up feeding him peanut butter crackers, a couple of protein drinks, and a pair of tangerines.

While the intruder was occupied by snacks, Perkins managed to call 911 on a rotary phone.

Think about that for a second. Do you realize how composed you have to be to do that with an intruder raiding your pantry?

First of all, they're loud. Secondly, they're slow.

The first number in 911 is a 9 which means the dial has to go almost the whole way around. Sure, the 1s are fast, but that 9 would have your hands shaking.

Not Marjorie Perkins though. She's got ice water in those veins.

Police arrived on the scene, and while the intruder had fled, Perkins's description pointed them in the direction of a local juvenile who was then arrested.

Perkins said after the incident that crime has gotten out of hand these days.

"I think our law has just folded up," she said. "People aren’t afraid of anything anymore. They feel they can do as they please."

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Matt is a University of Central Florida graduate and a long-suffering Philadelphia Flyers fan living in Orlando, Florida. He can usually be heard playing guitar, shoe-horning obscure quotes from The Simpsons into conversations, or giving dissertations to captive audiences on why Iron Maiden is the greatest band of all time.