Man Hid in Teen Girl's Closet for 5 Days

A 27-year-old man who met a 14-year-old girl online and ended up moving into her closet for five days could face up to life in prison on charges including statutory rape. Police say that after communicating with the girl on social media for a few weeks, North Carolina man Jarred Ashley Workman arranged to meet her and then sneaked into her home without her parents' knowledge. He was discovered by her horrified mother when she was putting clothes away, USA Today reports. He took off in such a hurry that he dropped his wallet and cell phone, which helped lead investigators to him.

"During the day, he was either in her closet or in her bedroom, and when she would come home from school or on the weekend or whatever, he would come out in evenings," a police spokesman explains. Workman has been charged with 11 counts of statutory rape and five counts of statutory sex offense, WROC-TV reports. "I'm uncomfortable in my own home. I'm scared. I can't sleep at night," the girl's mother says. The police spokesman says the crime highlights the importance of parents monitoring their children's online activities. (More North Carolina stories.)