Columbus police are searching for a suspect after a Monday morning home invasion.

Betsy Galloway, who lives near Lee Park on 11th Avenue North, said a man broke into her home about 5:30 a.m. Monday. Galloway, 32, said she woke up to let her dog out and, a few minutes after returning to bed, heard something in the laundry room.

Thinking her dog was having difficulty getting back in through the doggy door, Galloway went to the kitchen. That was where she saw a hooded man standing in her home.

Galloway described the man as a tall, thin man with a gray and blue hoodie and a mauve scarf. She said she tried to leave the house quietly, but he put himself between her and an exit.

“I didn’t get a good look at his face,” she said. “I was very concerned for my safety. I wasn’t sure if he was armed or if he was going to try to hurt me, kill me, rape me or whatever.”

Galloway managed escaped the home, unharmed except for some minor bruising and a hoarse throat from screaming. A neighbor let her in, and contacted the police.

The intruder did not take anything from Galloway’s home.

In the aftermath, Galloway said she’s angry, rather than afraid.

“I’m madder than hell,” she said. “People say to have a gun, or a dog or an alarm system. I have a gun. I have a dog. I have an alarm system. I’m about to go buy ammunition for my new pistol. I have a shotgun, but I didn’t have it with me because I was expecting to find my dog. I wasn’t expecting to find someone in my kitchen.”

CPD Assistant Chief Fred Shelton said no one had been arrested in the incident as of Tuesday afternoon.

He said what happened at Galloway’s home is an isolated incident.

Shelton said it’s important for people to try to get away from situations like Galloway’s, if they happen.

“The most important thing is that people protect themselves from harm,” Shelton said. “If you can escape the situation, escape the situation and call 911.”

Galloway said the incident hasn’t made her fear for Columbus, where she was born and raised. If anything, she said, it’s made her want to make the city a better place. She said she’s aware that CPD is understaffed and needs more officers to help push crime down.

“I live here because I love it,” she said. “Columbus is my home. I’m going to live here. My hope is that I’ll be at city council meetings from now on as much as I can. They (CPD) have to have more help and policing in the area for anything to change.”

Alex Holloway was formerly a reporter with The Dispatch.