Logan Therrien, 13, surprised herself and her parents when she fought off a man who attacked her in her own home on Nov. 17.
Logan, who was home alone at the time (it was a PD day at school, and Logan is a Grade 9 student at École secondaire Catholique Champlain), said a man tried to gain entry to her house at about 10:30 a.m. after she mistook him for a meter reader who had been going in and out of people's driveways only minutes before the attack happened.
“I thought it was her, so I went to open the door a little bit,” she said. “There was a strange guy standing on the other side, and he pushed the door open.”
Once the door was open, the two just stood there staring at each other, she said.
“I was scared,” she said. “Then he pushed me down the stairs. I hit my head on the floor (resulting in a mild concussion). I don't know when I hurt my wrist, but I know I hurt my ankle after landing at the bottom of the stairs.
“It hurt a lot, and I just sat there for a few seconds, thinking he was going to take off, but he didn't.”
Other than the pain, she can't recall what she was feeling emotionally, and the man just stood in the doorway, not doing anything, she said.
“I ran up the stairs, because I wanted to close the door,” she said. “When I was running up the stairs, that's why he tried to get in.”
The man put his arm inside the door, but not before Logan was able to get there.
“I slammed the door on his arm a few times,” she said. “I guess it hurt him, because I heard him sort of grunt and he removed his arm from the door.”
He took off and went toward the recycling bins across the street, she said. That's when she lost sight of him. The entire situation felt like it took a long time, but it likely didn't even last five minutes, she said.
Frantic and in tears, she called her mom, who was at the Azilda arena watching Logan's brother play hockey.
“I was really confused, because I didn't know what was happening,” said Lisa Comeau, Logan's mom.
Once she realized what had happened, it became every parent's worst nightmare.
“She was telling me she had been attacked, but when I answered, she was crying and freaking out, so I couldn't really understand what she was saying. She calmed down a bit, and told me someone came in the house, attacked her and pushed her down the stairs. So I kept her on the phone with me, and started yelling out in the arena for someone to call 911.”
A friend of the family was first to arrive at the house, followed by Logan's dad (who went on a manhunt for the suspect), Lisa and then the ambulance. When the police arrived on scene, they called in the canine unit to conduct a track, which ended unsuccessfully.
Lisa said they think the suspect was going to attempt to break in, and that he had been watching the house for everyone to leave. But, it was a PD day, so there was no school.
“There were no vehicles in the driveway, because my husband was at work and we were at hockey,” Lisa said. “I don't think he was expecting Logan to open the door.”
Logan said she has no idea who the guy was. She described him as very tall, “one of the tallest people I've seen in my life,” and he was very skinny.
He was wearing all black, and had a toque on, and he had something under both eyes, although she isn't sure if it was tattoos or bruises. He didn't have any facial hair, nor did he have any piercing. She said she could tell by just looking at him there was something wrong, like he might have been on drugs, and he was not healthy looking at all.
Lisa said she's extremely proud of her daughter.
“Her coming back up the stairs and fighting back like that, blew our minds,” she said. “If she hadn't have fought back and closed that door, who knows what would have happened, because he was coming in at that point.”
Police will be gathering all of the surveillance footage from businesses in the area, Lisa said.
“They hope to have some news for us by midweek,” she said. “I don't think there are many people who would fit that description, so they're hoping to make an ID using that footage. Hopefully, we get something out of that, because I think once he's arrested, it will help Logan feel more at ease.”
Logan has a cast on her wrist, which will remain there until Friday, when doctors will take another look at it, Lisa said. She's on crutches for her sprained ankle, and she's supposed to stay off of it for a week.
“She's a bit bummed out with the injuries, because she just made the junior volleyball team and she's a competitive gymnast, so she will be taking a bit of a break from all of that,” she said.
For Logan, the incident will remain fresh in her mind for a long time to come.
“I'm scared to stay home alone still,” she said.
Greater Sudbury Police said the investigation continues with the Break and Enter, Auto Theft and Robbery (BEAR) unit.
Police are urging anyone with any information to contact police at 705-675-9171 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) online at SudburyCrimeStoppers.com or by texting TIPSUD and the information to CRIMES (274637).
