DENVER, CO – A father of four fought off a repeat offender who broke into his family’s home in the middle of the night and walked toward the bedrooms where his children were sleeping, authorities said.
Kevin Root and his wife Sarah were jolted awake around 3:30 a.m. by the sound of footsteps on the stairs of their southwest Denver home. The couple looked at each other in horror as the realization set in.
“We looked at each other and said, ‘Somebody’s in our house,'” Kevin recalled.
Sarah immediately dialed 911 while her husband stepped into the hallway to confront the intruder. Despite repeated warnings to leave, the man continued walking toward the children’s rooms. That’s when Kevin took action.
“I pushed him as hard as I could down the stairs,” he said.
Police arrived within minutes and arrested 36-year-old Charley Cooley, who now faces a felony second-degree robbery charge. Court records reveal this was Cooley’s second robbery arrest in 2025 alone. He had been arrested in September and released after posting just $500 bail on November 11 – only days before allegedly breaking into the Root home.
None of the family members were physically injured during the terrifying encounter. The four children, who were all asleep upstairs, never saw the intruder’s face – something Sarah described as “a blessing.”
But the emotional toll has been significant. Sarah said she continues to struggle with what happened. “My sleep has been pretty difficult, and I still replay the moment,” she admitted.
The mother expressed frustration that someone with Cooley’s criminal history had been released so quickly and so cheaply. “It feels unsettling that something so invasive and violating is permitted to happen,” she said.
The case has renewed concerns about bail policies that allow individuals with extensive criminal records to return to the streets shortly after arrest. Cooley remains in custody awaiting his next court appearance.
THIS is why catch-and-release is so ineffective.