An 18-year-old man has been arrested after he was found living in the attic space above his 14-year-old girlfriend's bedroom.

According to the police report, the mother called 911 when she saw a bearded male intruder at the top of the stairs in her home in Mt Juliet, Tennessee. Despite the mother’s screams, instead of exiting the home, Matthew Casto immediately “bolted” to the daughter’s bedroom and disappeared.

When the police arrived at the residence on Karen Drive and Benders Ferry Road on June 2, Casto refused to leave the attic, so police had to remove him by force.

Mt Juliet Police say they had warned Casto to stay away from, and have no contact with, the teenager previously when the girl was the subject of a runaway investigation in May 29.

Mt Juliet Police Captain Tyler Chandler said, this is a situation where the defendant was allowed to be in the home in the past, but then was asked to stay away.

“After a trespass warning was issued, he hid in the attic, likely for a period of one to three days, so he could be with his consenting girlfriend,” Captain told The Independent. “Some have raised the concern of an 18-year-old being with a 14-year-old. However, Tennessee law has a close-in-age exemption that allows teens aged 13-18 to consent to partners less than four years older.”

According to Tennessee Law, the close-in-age exemption, also known as "Romeo and Juliet Law", is designed to prevent the prosecution of underage couples who engage in consensual sex when both participants are significantly close in age to each other, and one or both are below the age of consent of 18 years old.

Depending on the situation, this exemption may completely exempt qualifying close-in-age couples from the age of consent law, or it may also provide a legal defence that can be used in the event of prosecution.