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Reporter: Marcelino Benito

TUCSON (KGUN9-TV) - It's a nightmare scenario. A creepy crook breaks into your home. While you're still inside and if that isn't terrifying enough. The guy comes back just days later. That nightmare became all too real for one local woman. She came face to face with a home invader and lived to tell the story.

"I heard a sound at my door," said Josie.

Right away, she knew something wasn't right. She jumped out of bed, went to her bedroom door and pulled. It wouldn't open. Someone was pulling back on the other side until:

"I pulled it open, and he's standing right here," said Josie.

Josie started right into 25-year-old Jonathan Martinez's eyes.

"I said 'what are you doing'?" Josie said. "And then he said I'm with him."

She didn't scream or panic.

"There's no rehearsing this," Josie said.

Instead, she smiled. Martinez would later tell police, Josie scared him.

"The reason I scared him was because I didn't scream," said Josie. "I smiled so he probably thought there was something wrong with me."

She brushed past him, down the hallway, through the kitchen, and out the back patio door. Step by step, never running, keeping her cool until she got to her neighbor's house.

"I really let loose with screaming and panicking," Josie said. "I told the police you got to get there quick my grand-kids are in there."

The burglars would never even know her adult aged grand-kids were inside. Police responded in minutes. They surrounded the house, but by then the crooks had grabbed her laptop, made off with her purse and snatched her keys before getting away.

"The home invasion changed everything didn't it?" asked 9OYS reporter Marcelino Benito. "It changed everything, it changed my life."

Josie learned to be more cautious. Police discovered the bandit broke in through the smallest opening in the laundry room.

"I want people to know don't second guess how they can get in because they got in through a small window," said Josie.

She started taking extra precautions, closing all her windows, locking all her doors.

"Never thinking they would come back," said Josie.

She even changed the locks to her house, and it's a good thing she did.

"They waited a whole week and came back Saturday," said Josie.

This time the brazen bandit tried walking through the front door using the stolen keys. But the door wouldn't budge. Josie's granddaughter called 911 from inside, and police got their guy.

"It's a shame that these things are happening that we all have to be so careful," said Josie.

And that's why Josie is speaking out, to remind everyone thieves are crafty and will find a way to get in. So make sure every door, every window is locked up.

Martinez is facing counts of 2nd and 3rd degree burglary and a count of theft of a credit card.

NOTE: In the interest of full disclosure we should tell you, this home invasion hits close to home. The victim in this case is the family member of one of our KGUN9 staff. That staff member did not play a part in this story.