A 79-year-old woman has quite the story to tell about a stranger who was hiding in her closet Monday night.

Rochelle Saperston said confronted a burglar in her Volusia County home on Ocean Shore Boulevard near Ormond Beach just before 11 p.m. Monday night.

“Invasion of my privacy, my property and she had no right (to be) here,” Saperston said. “I heard what appeared to be footsteps, so as I’m going back up again, somebody is coming down the stairs and I tried to grab her.

Saperston tried to hold the suspect but she ran out and around the building.

However, once the victim described the suspect to deputies, they knew exactly who they were looking for because they had just encountered the same woman two hours before that.

Volusia County deputies say the suspect was 30-year-old Amber Birchfield, who they had just given a trespass warning about a mile away from the victim’s home.

“The worse thing was when I realized she had my garage door opener and that made me feel exceedingly vulnerable and scared frankly. Very, very scared,” Saperston said.

Deputies arrested Birchfield, who according to Volusia County Corrections, has been arrested six times over the past four years.

The 79-year-old woman said the stranger was hiding in her closet.

“She was hiding in here because after she ran out this door was open. She was sitting on the sleeping bag,” Saperston said.

Some of Saperston’s jewelry that was stolen has been returned but other pieces have not been found yet.                 

However, Saperston is just thankful she can feel safe in her own home again.