When a Kentucky dad woke up to strange noises in the middle of the night, he found himself facing every parent's nightmare.
What happened next has led to a long list of serious criminal charges for a 20-year-old man, as reported by PEOPLE.
Just after midnight on April 28, deputies from the Boone County Sheriff's Office responded to an emergency call from a home in Florence, Kentucky. A father had reached out to authorities, claiming that he had found a strange man—naked from the waist down—in the bedroom of his 13-year-old daughter.
According to the official statement from the sheriff's department, "he awoke in the night and heard noises coming from his 13-year-old daughter's room."
Parker Kramer. Credit: Boone County Sheriff's Office
When the father opened the door, he came face-to-face with 20-year-old Parker Kramer, who was "lying naked on the floor."
"After telling the suspect that he was calling the police, the father went downstairs and soon retrieved a handgun," the report continued. Right after that, the officials said, "the suspect pushed past the father and then ran out the front door."
At that moment, Kramer—dressed in just a shirt—ran across the front lawn. This prompted the father to pull the trigger three times, firing gunshots "into the ground near the front porch of the residence."
The entire incident unfolded along the 700 block of Brittany Trail.
As WKRC reported, law enforcement wasted no time setting up a secure perimeter around the area.
Even though they struggled at first to find Kramer, deputies soon discovered his abandoned vehicle nearby, along with a set of keys.
That was enough for them to show a photo of Kramer to the father. He confirmed that the man in the picture was indeed the same one he had caught in his daughter’s bedroom.
With extra support from Florence police and the use of a drone, the search effort ramped up. After about two hours of tense searching, officers eventually tracked Kramer down in a wooded area near Mt. Zion Road and the I-71/75 junction.
Boone County Sheriff's Major Philip Ridgell stated that Kramer told officers "he was planning on waiting them out."
During questioning, Kramer admitted to driving from Louisville to meet the young girl. The two had reportedly started communicating through a messaging app after previously meeting in person.
Ridgell also mentioned that Kramer has connections to the Northern Kentucky area as well.
After their meeting, the girl had informed Kramer that she was just 13 years old. Despite that, he allegedly lied and said he was 15, claiming he attended Ryle High School, a local high school in the area.
"This wasn't a guessing game where he was tricked," Ridgell explained. "It was apparent the girl was 13 years old."
Police apprehended Kramer, and he allegedly confessed. Credit: Douglas Sacha / Getty
Once Kramer was taken into custody, officials said he confessed to having inappropriate physical contact with the girl. The Boone County Sheriff's Office stated he "made admissions which led to additional r*pe and sodomy charges."
He is now facing charges of burglary, along with two counts related to unlawful contact with a minor and one count involving inappropriate conduct. He is currently being held at the Boone County Jail with his bond set at $250,000 in cash.
Court records show that Kramer is scheduled to appear before a judge for a preliminary hearing on May 5. At the time of his arrest on April 28, no attorney had been listed to represent him in court.
The investigation is still underway as officials continue working through the details of the case.
