Police: Dunwoody man broke into home, screamed at sleeping teen about barking dogs
Nobody likes a barking dog, especially in the morning.
However, police said a Dunwoody man barked up the wrong tree with his response to his neighbor’s yapping dogs, landing him in jail.
Sean Hoppe Peterson, 42, faces three charges after he banged on the front door of a Manget Way house before deciding to go inside to confront the dogs’ owner face-to-face, Dunwoody police Sgt. Robert Parsons told Channel 2 Action News.
The family’s security camera captured Peterson outside the front door. He ended up waking up a 14-year-old girl, who went downstairs to discover the man inside her home last Saturday morning, police said.
“She reported he was cursing at her — screaming at her about the barking dogs,” Parsons said. “Certainly going to somebody’s house, pushing the door open and then cursing at a 14-year-old is not the right way.”
The girl called her parents, who shared the video footage with police, Channel 2 reported. The family also posted about the incident on the Neighbors app.
Officers arrested Peterson on counts of criminal trespass, simple assault and third-degree child cruelty, DeKalb County jail records show. He bonded out the next day.
According to the police report, Peterson told officers he only pushed the door open and stuck his head inside to see if anyone was home. He did not respond to Channel 2’s request for comment.
About the Author
Zachary Hansen, a Georgia native, covers economic development and commercial real estate for the AJC. He's been with the newspaper since 2018 and enjoys diving into complex stories that affect people's lives.
