Posted on 03/19/2012 5:42:51 PM PDT by marktwain
MARSHALL COUNTY, Ky. — It was still dark, before 4 a.m. Monday, but Jack Thompson, 78, was able to make out two figures in the night.
It was noise outside that had woken him up and the sight confirmed his fears. He reached under his pillow and grabbed his pistol.
Seconds later, there was a noise he described as a "thud." The two men had kicked in the door of his Brewers-area home and one was charging up the stairs to the Thompson's bedroom.
"He knew where he was going. He headed for me. He knew where I slept," he said of the possibility the intruders had previously cased his house.
The blood spattered on the tan walls upstairs tell the story of what happened next.
"I think I fired three rounds."
Startled, the man disappeared. But when he came back, Thompson was ready, firing off more rounds with a shotgun.
"I was scared," he said, hours after the fact.
"I am shaking just thinking about it," his daughter Jackie Sturman said.
She told Local 6 she was not surprised by her father's actions. He had slept with a pistol under his pillow for years.
"He's been ready all his life."
Jack Thompson said that is where his gun will be tonight but said he does not expect anymore trouble.
"I don't think he'll want what his friend got," he said of the suspect that got away.
Sheriff Kevin Byars said he is not sure if either of the intruders had guns. The man Thompson shot has been identified as Mitchell Saddoris, 22, of Kirksey, Kentucky. He denied having a gun, saying the man who fled the scene had been armed.
Charges have not been filed against Saddoris and are not expected for at least several weeks. If his condition improves, Sheriff's Deputies will head to Vanderbilt Medical Center to interview Saddoris Tuesday.
Deputies are still looking for a second suspect. He is described as a white man wearing a light-colored, possibly yellow shirt. Anyone with information is asked to call the Sheriff's Office at (270) 527-3112.
Life as it should be with one exception, all the perpetrators in this crime are still alive.
“Jack Thompson said that is where his gun will be tonight but said he does not expect anymore trouble.”
Around here, I think the LEO would confiscate the weapons used. Always have a back up.
‘Atta boy, Jack!
“he’s been ready all his life”. The kids proud of the old man. Me too.
Believed to be a picture of the perp.
http://www.pbase.com/humanesociety/image/136069916
And according to comments, he was strongly addicted to painkillers. I’m thinking hydrocodone, which for many is about as addictive as heroin, and much easier to obtain, but very expensive.
It is a serious threat, and expected to get much worse. Right now, such drugs are limited to about 20% hydrocodone, but they soon anticipate making 100% hydrocodone. While a boon to people with severe, life threatening pain, the potential for addiction is extremely high.
As a general rule, one this guy should have known since he lived there!! You don’t mess with KY folks. Proud of this Dad, and it’s one more reason I want to retire there!
—Saddoris has not been charged, because once arrested, the county becomes liable for his hospital bills.—
That’s pretty funny. I think you are right.
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