Couple discovers intruder in basement storage following series of eerie events

Dutch Hoggatt, a professor at Harding University in Searcy, Arkansas, and his wife Sharon recently faced a startling security breach.

The couple first became suspicious when a pair of work shoes vanished without a trace and furniture was mysteriously rearranged. Speaking to KTVB, Hoggatt revealed they also "noticed that some of our food was missing."

Their daughter, Cherisse, told KARK that her parents "noticed that one of their donuts had been eaten while they were out of the house, and an apple had been eaten."

Determined to unravel the mystery, Sharon investigated the storage area beneath the basement stairs alongside Cherisse and son-in-law Mark Gregory. Upon spotting a pair of jeans, the family retreated.

Gregory, armed with a baseball bat, confronted the intruder. The man, identified as 41-year-old Preston Landis, was arrested on charges of residential burglary and theft of property on April 29, as reported by WPXI.

He had reportedly sought shelter from severe weather, staying in a crawl space before moving to the basement on Tuesday.

Despite the ordeal, the family maintained a compassionate stance. "In a way I kind of felt bad for him," Gregory told KARK, noting Landis was "struggling with things."

Hoggatt added he was "not angry at this man. I feel sorry for the man." Before his arrest, Landis reportedly told Cherisse, "tell your folks that I’m really sorry and they seem like really nice people."

Landis now awaits legal proceedings regarding the burglary charges and his unauthorised stay in the family's residence.