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KEARNS — A man is in custody after a bizarre incident of squatting and attempted assault on homeowners with a machete Saturday morning, police said.
Just after 10 a.m. Saturday, a family that had left their home near 5950 South and Misty Way in Kearns due to a fire roughly a week ago returned to check on it, according to detective Ken Hansen of Unified Police Department.
Upon entering the home they noticed a lot of things out of place, but the worst of it was in the basement.
"The downstairs is just completely in shambles — drawers pulled out, things dumped everywhere. There's drug paraphernalia on my mom's bed," said one family member, who did not want to be identified.
The woman said she heard footsteps upstairs, and when a door slammed shut she ran outside to see a complete stranger holding a machete.
"He was saying, 'What the (expletive) is going on here?' So I just ran as I was calling 911, ran across the street 'cause he's running out of the driveway with the machete," the woman said.
She said her mother confronted the man, who then took off running. Police officers found him two blocks away; they said he had the machete and other stolen items in hand.
The man, later identified as Scott L. Thompson, 25, was taken into custody.
"My understanding from the detectives, the officers that talked to him, was that he is homeless and he was looking for a place to stay," Hansen said.
Jail documents say Thompson admitted to staying at the house for a few days, off and on. They also show Thompson admitted stealing a car that was in the driveway.
Court records show Thompson has a criminal history that includes drugs.
