An Oklahoma father says his 11-year-old sons terrifying discovery of a stranger lying in his bed has renewed serious questions about why a violent repeat offender was free to roam the streets.
Authorities in Oklahoma City responded to the familys home on March 14 after the boys father, Josh Hodnik, was jolted awake by his sons alarming report of an intruder, according to Fox News.
Hodnik told local outlet KOKH, "My son woke me up, and he said, Hey, there's a man in my bed," a claim the father initially dismissed as a bad dream or a childs overactive imagination.
"It just kind of shocked me, shook me," Hodnik said.
"I was like, What, what do you, what do you mean? I thought he was sleepwalking and, and, and he mistook, he was imagining things or whatever."
When Hodnik went to check the bedroom, he discovered his son had been telling the truth.
"There was a grown man laying in the bed," Hodnik said, KOKH reported. "He brought his own blanket, had one sock on, no shoes on."
The night before the incident, Hodniks two children had been playing in the yard, and when they came back inside, the front door was left unlocked.
Hodnik acknowledged he did not verify the lock before going to sleep, a lapse he now deeply regrets but insists should not have been exploited in a civilized society.
"I didn't go check the front door after they played outside on Friday night," Hodnik told KOKH.
"And that was my fault. I wish I would have, but I shouldn't have to. OK? We shouldn't live in a society where somebody else walks into your front door."
Police identified the intruder as 46-year-old Charles Bradford, who was arrested at the scene.
He has been charged with first-degree burglary and five misdemeanors, according to KOKH.
Subsequent local reporting revealed Bradfords extensive criminal history, including multiple arrests for assault and larceny.
In 2002, Bradford was convicted of first-degree manslaughter after killing his cellmate while in prison, KOKH reported.
The disclosure of Bradfords record left Hodnik outraged that such an individual had been released back into the community.
"The guy should not have been on the street, period. He killed his cellmate. Guy has like 12 violent crimes, assault on an officer, assault on a medical staff, over and over and over and over. And then just let this guy walk out free," Hodnik reportedly said.
Despite that history, prosecutors had previously steered Bradford into a mental health court program, a diversionary track often favored by reform-minded officials.
Following his most recent conviction in Oklahoma City, the district attorneys office told KOKH Bradford had pleaded into the program because officials believed the stability and treatment would benefit him.
Now, in light of the new charges, those same officials are reportedly reassessing whether Bradford should remain in that alternative court.
The case underscores growing concerns among many conservatives that lenient policies and diversion programs are prioritizing offenders treatment over public safety and the rights of law-abiding families.
"He doesn't need to be on the street," Hodnik told the outlet.
"You know, I felt bad for the guy, when the issue happened. But at the same time he came into my home and laid in my kid's bed, and it was all I could do to not kill the guy."
Bradford is currently being held at the Cleveland County Detention Center on a $75,000 bond, according to court records obtained by Fox News Digital.
The Oklahoma County District Attorneys Office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digitals request for comment, leaving parents like Hodnik to wonder how many more chances violent offenders will be given before the system finally puts the safety of children and families first.
Login