Family Finds Man Sleeping In Elderly Woman's Sand Springs Home

Sand Springs Police say the son and grandson of an elderly woman caught someone who broke in and fell asleep in her home. Officers arrested Nicholas Taylor Gaskin Sunday afternoon after he was found sleeping in a chair in the woman's living room.

They say he admitted to using heroin and then breaking in to catch a nap. 

Now Gaskin is in the Tulsa County Jail, and the victim's family says they don't believe he acted alone.

An arrest report states the victim's son stopped by her home Sunday afternoon to check on things and found the house had been ransacked.

Gaskin, a 24-year-old Glenpool resident, was asleep in a chair, police said. The victim's son backed out of the home and called his son to the house, as well as notifying police.

"He found a man sleeping in a chair in her house," said Sand Springs Police Captain Todd Enzbrenner. 

"He called his son first and said, 'Hey, get over here - there is someone in grandma's house."

Police said the victim's family talked to Gaskin while they waited for officers to show up.

The grandson confronted Gaskin who appeared to be "dazed and confused" and didn't know why he was in the house, according to the arresting officer.

"We were advised by our dispatcher on the way there that either he or his son had a knife out and was holding it just in case this guy, you know the suspect, bolted on him or tried to fight him," said Enzbrenner.

Body cam video from Sand Springs Police Officer Dustin Erwin shows the moments police arrived on scene. Police say the video shows Gaskin asleep in a chair. He doesn't live in the home. An elderly woman does, and her son just happened to drop by to check on the house while she's away.

Police arrived at the home and took Gaskin into custody. They say they found some women's jewelry on his person. They also found a used syringe and other paraphernalia in the house, and officers said Gaskin admitted to using heroin the night before.

"He was using drugs and looking for a place to crash and some odds and ends to steal, to hock, so he could buy some more heroin," said Enbrenner.

Gaskin told officers he entered the home through an unlocked door and stayed there because he didn't have anywhere else to go. He denied going through the woman's belongings, police said.

He was booked on complaints of second-degree burglary and possession of paraphernalia.

Officers said they are just glad the victim's family members handled the situation safely.

"We have the right to protect our property, and we have the right to arrest somebody who commits a serious offense," said Sand Springs Police Captain Todd Enzbrenner.

"We can make a citizen’s arrest, but it is never a good idea if we don't have the training or the tools or the equipment to do it."

The family says they believe someone used a car to take off with some bigger items. Police say Gaskin told them two other people were at the house with him.