BARDSTOWN, Ky. — It was another busy start to the workweek in Bardstown for Lance Blanford, he was in a meeting when his daughter video called.
"I ignored the first call and then the second call came in and finally on the third one I knew something was up," said Lance.
"I told him that there was a strange guy in the house," said 10-year-old Laken Blanford. During the call, Laken was hiding in her closet.
"I could tell immediately that she was scared and she was whispering," said Lance. He asked his daughter if she could turn the camera towards the intruder, "To be able to prepare for what I was going to see when I got there."
The 10-year-old put her phone through the railing.
"So I had to pass him in the hallway and when I saw him kicking at our dog, it got me really scared," said Laken.
"I asked her, I said is there any way that you can get to your brother and your nanny and she said, 'yeah, I think I can.' So I said I need you to get out of the house," said Lance. While she was trying to get her brother and grandma out of the house, the call dropped.
"My stomach dropped with it. Really, I don't have any words to describe it. I couldn't get there fast enough, I'll tell you that," said Lance.
At that point, his kids and mother-in-law had gotten out. They ran over to the neighbor's house and hid behind their garage.
Lance had no idea whether they'd escaped, "I knew I only had one choice and that was to come in and find out and try to save my kids."
He grabbed his shotgun and found the man in his basement, drinking beer. "I racked the shotgun and pointed at him and told him he had about ten seconds to get out of my house," said Lance.
The man rushed him and Lance tells WHAS11 he hit the man with the barrel of the shotgun. He held him at gunpoint until officers came and arrested him.
The Nelson County Sheriff was so impressed with Laken's bravery, he gave her the Sheriff's Office Challenge coin. "He pulled this thing out of his pocket and told me that I did the right thing," said Laken.
Not only saving herself, but her little brother and grandma. Making Lance one proud dad, "The situation could have been so different had she not acted in the way she did and remained in the house."
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