ARLINGTON, Tenn. — A local man was taken into custody after a bizarre series of events that reportedly started when his bike tire went flat late Tuesday night.
Bethel Bailey was reportedly riding his bike in the 11000 block of Walker Street around midnight when his tire suddenly went flat. He went to one of the homes nearby and knocked on the front door, but no one answered.
Instead of seeking help elsewhere, the 54-year-old decided to make himself at home. He grabbed a few beers and ate a ham sandwich and a several cookies before jumping into the homeowner’s shower. Once clean, he reportedly took a cat nap on the living room couch.
Bailey was reportedly in the process of washing his clothes when the owner arrived home and saw him wrapped in a sheet in the hallway. She called authorities who arrived in time to take the man into custody.
Deputies said they also found Bailey’s wet clothes, a bike and a helmet on the rear patio.
He was charged with aggravated burglary.
“He thawed out some chicken … going to season it, make a salad, I don’t know,” said the homeowner, who went back and forth from making jokes to being seriously weirded out after finding a half-naked man inside her house. She did not want to be identified.
“As I came in the house, I saw someone coming toward the door, and a blanket wrapped around his waist.”
Even stranger, she said, Bethel lives just a half mile away. She’s just thankful her teenage son wasn’t home and that deputies got there fast.
“Some of it is funny when you think about and try to explain it,” the homeowner said, “but then some of it is pretty traumatic when you realize there is a person in your house.”
