Tulsa Woman Says She Encountered Masked Man With Butcher Knife On Porch

A Tulsa woman has a warning tonight for trick-or-treaters after she says she encountered a man on her back porch holding a butcher knife.

Police and the woman have no idea what the man's intentions were, and even though it's Halloween, they are taking it seriously. 

Misty Deffenbaugh's dog, Madi, is what woke her up.

"She's kinda whining, kinda acting weird,” Deffenbaugh recalled.”

It's what happened after she let Madi out to the backyard early Tuesday morning that she says made her Halloween get off to a scary start.

"I shut my door, locked it,” she said.

Deffenbaugh says she went back inside to grab a jacket and what she saw when she looked at the back door caused her to call 911.

"A man is standing there with a white mask on, had a little blood, looked like tear drops down the side,” she explained. “He was in brown coveralls, and had a big ole butcher knife in his hand."

She says he didn't say anything, but they did make eye contact.

"The door was shut,” she said. “He was standing on the top step. So, he filled the entire doorway."

Tulsa Police Officer Jeanne MacKenzie says, "Approaching someone's backdoor in the middle of the night with a knife is not funny."

MacKenzie said officers went to the neighborhood but didn't find anything. She says they take every call seriously and expects Oklahomans will be ready to protect themselves if they feel their life is in danger.

"If they were attempting to break into the home in any way, shape or form and that person in the home felt in fear for their safety or their life than yes, that person could have been injured,” said MacKenzie.

"Get shot doing this,” Deffenbaugh stated. “It's not a funny thing to do. It scared us. He's taken away our security now."

She added, "I think every parent should know that he's out there."

Whether you think it's a prank or not, if you see anything suspicious while out trick-or-treating, call police.