"Creepy" Stranger Who Entered Woman's Apartment, Stared at Her Sleeping, Organized Shoes, and Stole Socks Is Charged With Trespassing

An Iowa woman is shaken up after an intruder walked into her house, used the restroom, and watched her sleep while she was conked out on the couch. Dan Abimana, 23, was caught on security footage from inside the apartment of the woman who says she did not know him. In the footage, he was seen organizing her shoes as she slept on the sofa and stole a pair of socks as he ran out of the door after she awoke.

Abimana turned himself in after he saw himself on the news in a local CBS affiliate KCCI report. He's been charged with trespassing, and now the woman warns others to stay safe.

The Woman Often Sleeps on the Couch

The woman has not been publicly identified, but did speak with Law&Crime and offered a reason why she didn't realize a stranger was in her apartment at first,  "I sleep with the TV on," she explained. "He was super quiet. I think the combination of the two is how I just kept sleeping." She added that the man had "even been down to the kids' room. You know, it's creepy."

How the Woman Woke Up

According to KCCI, Abimana was in the apartment for about 30 minutes while the residents slept. The woman woke up when she felt him brush against her knee. She spoke to him and asked who he was.

"He said, 'I'm the guy who dropped you off last night,'" the woman told Goldberg. "At that point, I knew he wasn't a friend of the kids or anything."

The Stranger Ran Out the Door Stealing a Pair of Socks

Once the woman realized she didn't know the man in her apartment she then "started screaming for my son." Abimana ran out the door, but took a pair of socks with him.

The woman said that she believes he was still "in the building somewhere" after that. She called authorities, and they searched the property, but he was not found at that time. 

Why Abimana Entered the Woman's Home

While the woman can't say for sure why Abimana came into her house, she does have a theory. "My assumption was that he was on drugs or something," she said.

"I didn't smell alcohol on him when he was standing right in front of me, and I was awake." She has taken additional security measures but won't reveal what. "I have [ramped up security], but I will not mention what it is. I live alone."

The Woman's Door Wasn't Locked

Abimana was able to walk into the woman's apartment because the door wasn't locked. "Someone had come home earlier in the night after work and just absentmindedly forgot to lock the door," the woman said.

"Lock your doors!" she warned. "I can't say that loud enough or enough times. I am really, really grateful that nothing happened to the kids that were in the apartment."

Police Don't Think Abimana Was Trying to Hurt Anyone

Police don't believe Abimana had bad intentions to hurt anyone. "I don't think it was anything like he was trying to harm anyone," Ankeny Police Sgt. Corey Schneden told Law&Crime. "He mentioned that there was some alcohol that was involved, but that was really it," Schneden said.

"It sounded like he didn't have any ill intentions towards anyone. I don't know if there was confusion because it was a large apartment complex, and he was over visiting someone, and he got mixed up. I don't know exactly what his motives were at that time or how he got confused and went into those apartments."

The Woman Isn't Happy with the Charges

Abimana is now facing two counts of trespassing, but the woman doesn't think the charges are enough. "I was very upset, I was not happy at all," she said.

"I felt at the least it should have been either burglary or assault. I was in fear for my life when I woke up." She added, "I want to see some justice, that is my main goal."

How the Incident Affected the Woman

The woman is relieved that nobody was hurt during the incident and knows the situation could have been worse, but she is traumatized by the experience. "I have trouble sleeping," she said.

"I constantly wake up in the night and look around to see if anyone's in my room. If I go around the corner coming in, I look to see if anyone's there. It's really affected me."