Lower Hutt police are praising the quick actions of a Wainuiomata household after an alleged sexual assault in the house early on Saturday morning.
They say two women and a man awoke to find a stranger in the house, whom they confronted before calling police.
Detective Sergeant Bridget Robinson says the intruder fled but officers arrested him a short distance away with the help of a police dog.
She says the occupants of the house acted bravely and provided police with a very good description of the offender, which aided a swift arrest.
A 17-year-old faces a charge of sexual assault and another of burglary.
