Denton police: Sex offender arrested after invading woman’s home

DENTON, Texas — Denton Police arrested a registered intercourse offender on a number of expenses following a home invasion Friday morning. 

The Denton Police Department (DPD) mentioned a feminine resident reported an unknown male had damaged into her residence and bodily assaulted her on Friday. She advised police she was restrained towards her will for roughly two hours and threatened and lower with a knife throughout a wrestle. 

The suspect ran away together with her bank card, and he or she was capable of free herself from the restraints and name 911, DPD mentioned. According to the division, detectives reviewed home surveillance video and recognized the suspect as 72-year-old Paul Merritt, a registered intercourse offender. 

DPD mentioned detectives made contact with Merritt and he was nonetheless carrying the identical garments from the home surveillance video. They mentioned he additionally had contemporary scratches on his face. 

DPD mentioned throughout his interview, Merritt confessed to a number of crimes. He advised them that roughly two months prior, he noticed the girl at a retailer, adopted her, and watched her at her residence a number of instances. He mentioned Friday was not the primary time he had tried to interrupt into her home. 

Merritt additionally lied about his residential handle and was primarily dwelling at one other residence, failing to conform together with his intercourse offender registration necessities, DPD mentioned. 

Merritt was arrested and charged with stalking, failure to adjust to registration necessities with earlier conviction, aggravated assault with a lethal weapon, illegal restraint and housebreaking of habitation with the intent to commit one other felony. He was taken to Denton County Jail with a $355,000 bond.

Police are asking anybody extra information about Merritt that could be related to detectives to name 940-349-8181 and reference case #22186808.