Pasadena Man Recalls His Terrifying Battle With Demons

Halloween often brings to the forefront spooky tales of ghosts and apparitions, but for one Pasadena resident, a much more devastating paranormal entity provoked a life-changing experience that forced him to question not only his faith but also his survival.

John Drenner Jr. was just 5 years old when he picked up a satanic book in the woods behind his grandmother’s house in Odenton. While running back to the house to catch up with his sister, he heard noises and whispering in his ears. Shortly upon returning to his Pasadena home, Drenner was found in his bed, chanting.

Since Drenner and his sister spent their summer weekends at their grandmother’s house, the behavior prompted their grandmother to keep crucifixes in her home to ward off spirits. Soon, Drenner’s encounters with the paranormal became more physical.

“It felt like an electrical charge went up my spine,” said Drenner, recalling one incident in particular. “And when I turned around to the doorway, I came face to face with this demon. It wasn’t a shadow figure at this point. It looked like it was a tangible person but obviously much different. Its skin was black and red, like a leathery texture to it. It had no eyes. It was just sockets. It had really jagged teeth. It was nose to nose with me. I could literally feel this thing’s breath on my face.

“And the only thing I could think to say was, ‘What are you?’” Drenner continued. “And it said, ‘We are Legion. You belong to us.’ And then I blacked out, and I woke up on the living room floor the next morning covered in scratch marks and bite marks.”

Drenner first spoke about that encounter on “Devil Inside Me,” a 2014 episode on “A HAUNTING,” a TLC show that features eyewitness accounts of poltergeist attacks, cryptic visions, demonic activity and possessions. He said the attacks continued throughout adolescence, with the presence terrorizing him every night. He eventually turned to alcohol and Vicodin as an escape before trying twice to commit suicide. “I felt worthless as a person,” he said. “I felt like I had nothing.”

Drenner said he was contemplating another suicide attempt one day when he instead decided to drive to Hanover and, at the advice of a friend, meet with spiritual deliverance minister Bill Bean, who himself had engaged in spiritual warfare. Bean, a Glen Burnie native, has been featured several times on TV. He has traveled around the country helping others, sharing his personal story.

Bean said that when he was 5, a force pinned him on his back as he tried to leave his bed. “I have done countless interviews since then, and I still cannot accurately convey the level of trauma and terror and fear that I felt,” Bean said. “My mouth wouldn’t work and I thought I was going to die.”

The activity became more prevalent with time. Doors in the house started opening and slamming. Faucets turned on and off. One of the family dogs went missing.

Bean said his mother suffered the worst, as she was thrown in the air by an invisible force. It wasn’t until adolescence that Bean overcame his battle by turning to religion and leaving the house.

Years later, as a deliverance minister, Bean met Drenner and instantly felt that something was wrong. “I felt tremendous hatred and hostility toward me, and he hadn’t said a word to me yet,” Bean said.

On the spot, Bean cast out the demon with prayer. The process performed was a deliverance, which is different from an exorcism in that it generally utilizes more prayer instead of props, like crosses.

“Exorcism is a Catholic rite, and I don’t have an ax to grind with Catholics, but I know what has worked for me,” Bean said. “Their method is more ritualistic. For me … I get involved on offense. If I can walk in strength and courage, nothing can stand against me. When you eliminate fear, you are starving the devil out of your life.”

At age 21, Drenner relinquished his fear and finally found peace. He now has a wife and child and works in law enforcement, and he served as an apprentice to Bean, helping people “build themselves spiritually.”

Bean has passed his methods to Drenner, teaching him to do land and house blessings; anoint people with holy water, oil and salt; and act as a counselor to help people overcome their dark secrets.

“I don’t claim to be a psychic,” Bean said. “God gives me a knowing through pictures and images. But that’s not enough. I have to confirm that.”

That confirmation, he said, comes through the counseling process. To ensure the person is truly free, Bean encourages them to get involved in a faith-based church, a support group, or both.

To learn more about Bean, visit www.billjbean.com. To see more spooky stories, check out “A HAUNTING,” which will move to TLC with new episodes on Fridays at 9:00pm starting on October 21.

Drenner wants both skeptics and believers to know that his experience was real and that others faced with similar circumstances should seek immediate assistance.

“I want people to realize that there is help out there,” Drenner said. “Don’t give up. Reach out and get help.”