'It's a different type of fear': Dad holds trespasser at gunpoint after found in son's bed

WILDWOOD, Mo. - In a safe community where people rarely think to lock their doors, a parent’s nightmare became reality for one Wildwood home.

A father of two was getting ready for his son’s band concert in early December when his 11-year-old rushed into his room, saying there was a stranger in the house. The father sprang into action, discovering the intruder in his son’s bed.

“When he didn’t move when I yelled at him, I instantly thought, 'Well, maybe this guy could have a weapon,'” the father recalled. “The last thing I wanted was for things to get worse. I had to protect myself and my son, so I went and got a weapon.”

According to court documents filed in St. Louis County, the intruder, identified as Jack William McWhinnie, had entered the home without permission and walked right past the son into the boy's room.

The father tried to have McWhinnie come out from under the covers, afraid he might have a weapon. It was at that point the dad decided to grab his personal weapon and held McWhinnie at gunpoint while calling 911, attempting to de-escalate the situation by asking personal and spiritual questions.

“He was confused; he wasn’t quite sure what was going on at first,” the homeowner said. “Then he realized he was in the wrong home and apparently with the wrong homeowner and dad. It’s a different type of fear when you have your children behind you, and this is in front of you.”

Wildwood Police arrested McWhinnie inside the home, charging him with trespassing and resisting arrest. His bond is set at $75,000.

This was the third time McWhinnie had interacted with the family, court filings show, with each incident escalating until he was found in the boy’s bed.

McWhinnie also faces felony charges for trespassing and drug possession from a separate April incident at a hotel near St. Louis Lambert International Airport.

“I hate the feeling of pulling a gun on someone or doing that,” the father admitted. “But at the same time, the opposite result of that could’ve been pretty catastrophic.”

While the family is still processing the events, they’re grateful to be safe and together.

“I was able to hold my son and console him; he was pretty shaken up,” the father shared. “This man definitely wasn’t going to hurt my children, or he was going to have to go through me to do that.”