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Ann Murray, a South Bend, IN mother, came home Monday night around 11:30 and found a strange man in her apartment on North Lance Court. She thought she was being robbed, but instead the man, "had cooked some chicken and onions in a pot, folded my clothes and swept my floor," Murray says. That’s right – the burglar was making dinner, had neatly organized Murray's laundry and cleaned her floors. When asked if he did a good job, Murray laughed and said, "Yes, he drank up my orange juice, but it's cool, because he swept my floors and folded my...

FEBRUARY 3--A naked burglar covered in chocolate and peanut butter was arrested early Tuesday after workers found him inside a Kentucky supermarket. Andrew Toothman, 22, was collared by State Police troopers who responded to a 911 call from the Food World IGA market in the city of Neon (pop. 770). Pictured in the above mug shot, Toothman was charged with burglary, criminal mischief, and indecent exposure. A court citation filed yesterday notes that Toothman--who was only wearing a pair of black boots--had “peanut butter and chocolate smeared all over person.”

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- Greene County sheriff's deputies and Springfield police officers recently picked up five suspected burglars at two homes within four days. Cops said the arrests were thanks in part to alert citizens. In both instances, regular people tracked down the burglars and held them at gunpoint until officers arrived. Greene County Prosecuting Attorney Dan Patterson warns citizens, however, that although they might feel emboldened by a law that lets them defend themselves against intruders on their property, the law doesn't give them blanket permission to shoot an intruder. "I was fortunate that it turned out like it did....

EDDINGTON, Maine — A man who broke into a home on Riverside Drive on Saturday afternoon and was shot in the foot by the homeowner is now behind bars on a charge of felony burglary, Deputy Chief Troy Morton of the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office said. Darren Seidell, 30, a local transient originally from Florida, was discovered in the home of Peter and Carol Roderick when she returned home from grocery shopping at around 2:45 p.m., the deputy chief said. “Peter was on the property but in another building,” Morton said. “When his wife came home he went to help...

Northwest Harris County - A group of burglars targeted a home in Northwest Harris County. One was caught, but there may be as many as two others on the loose. They may have all gotten away, had it not been for one observant neighbor, armed with a gun. For the second time in just a month, Carmen Cadwell answered a call that sent her into a panic. It was from her home security company alerting her to a possible break-in at her house on Melody Park. She says the first time, the criminals took off without any valuables as the...

A Richmond man told troopers he shot a burglar in self-defense. Police got a call around 8:30 Saturday morning about a break-in that was happening on Hager drive. Steven Womack later told investigators he was holding the burglar at gunpoint until troopers arrived when the suspect suddenly tried to get out a window. Womack also told troopers when the burglar went to reach for something in his pocket, he shot him three times. The man who was shot, 38-year old Steven Murphy, was taken to the hospital and is expected to recover. No word yet on charges filed in the...

A burglary suspect is in police custody this morning after being attacked by the 17-year-old that lives at the south Nashville home. According to Metro Police, the complainant called and advised that a Hispanic male was crawling through the window at the Tony Sudekum homes at 15 Carroll Street at around 2 a.m. The complainant's son chased the suspect away while armed with a meat cleaver, and stated that he yelled at the suspect to "never come back here." It was at this time that the suspect turned and charged at the teenager. The victim swung at the suspect with...

Meridian police say a burglar was shot by a homeowner Friday morning. Officials say the resident arrived home between 10:30 and 11 a.m. to find someone in his house in the 2400 block of 37th Avenue. Police spokesman Mike Vick said the homeowner fired once, injuring the suspect in the hand. "There was an additional person of interest outside the home that is being questioned now," said Vick. "And charges are pending on both of those individuals." Vick said he can't release the suspects' names until they are formally charged with burglary.

WEST PIKE RUN TOWNSHIP, Pa. -- A man died during what was described as a home invasion early Thanksgiving morning in West Pike Run Township, Washington County. State police said the shooting happened when a man tried to enter a married couple's house on National Pike around 4:30 a.m. "He was confronted by the homeowner. The homeowner was armed. He fired a single shot, striking and killing the intruder," Lt. Chris Neal said. The wife told Channel 4 Action News reporter Ashlie Hardway that she had gone to the living room couch because she couldn't sleep, and sometime during the...

Ardmore — An Ardmore man put a halt to a midnight burglar's plans to break into his home in a pre-Thanksgiving Day caper. Sgt. Ryan Hunnicutt, Ardmore Police Department Public Information Officer, said 21-year-old Michael Newberry was apprehended by a Shenandoah Street resident shortly before midnight. "The home owner was awakened by the sound of someone breaking into his home," Hunnicutt said. Armed with a handgun, the homeowner confronted the burglar and fired one shot in his direction. Hunnicutt said Newberry was not injured by the shot, but the confrontation convinced him to surrender to the homeowner. "The homeowner held...

SPRINGFIELD, La (NBC33) — A Springfield man says he pulled a gun on an alleged burglar to protect his property, and his life, Tuesday morning. Tom Casey says the house he’s been fixing up for his son has been broken into five times. This past weekend, he set up a deer alarm inside to stop the robberies. He never believed he’d actually catch someone in the act. When the little alarm went off in his house down the street, Casey decided to go investigate. “I didn’t think it was anything. I had just drove past there, and I didn’t see...

When Patricia Billings fired a handgun at an intruder reportedly breaking through her bedroom window in Rutland Town last week, the legal ramifications were probably the furthest thing from her mind. “No one thinks of self-defense law when they’re in a dangerous incident,” said Michele Martinez Campbell, an associate professor at Vermont Law School. “When you’re in harm’s way, you do what you have to do.” In Billings’ case, police say the 49-year-old fired three rounds from a handgun at a man trying to enter her home on Tuesday. The intruder fled the property on Quarterline Road leaving behind no...

Vandalia man is suspected of breaking into a family’s home while high on bath salts and setting up Christmas decorations.

A homeowner who police say interrupted a burglar inside his Antioch home was threatened with a knife before he shot and killed the intruder, investigators said. According to police, Antioch resident Arnie Schmidt III forced his way into a home in the 200 block of West 17th Street on Saturday afternoon and was stripping copper wiring and piping when the homeowner, described as an elderly man, arrived. Acting Capt. Leonard Orman said the homeowner was startled because Schmidt broke through sheet rock between the home and an exterior water heater closet, leaving no signs of a break-in from the front...

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- A Charleston landlord held a suspect at gunpoint until police arrived Sunday after being surprised at a West Side rental unit. Kevin Comer, 35, of Charleston, was checking on an apartment he owns on West Washington Street at about 6:30 p.m. when he was surprised by a man coming in behind him, said Sgt. Eric Hodges of the Charleston Police Department. Hodges said the suspect, later identified as Gary Wayne Mullins, 50, of Charleston, was acting strangely and appeared to be reaching for a gun. At that point Comer, who has a license to carry a concealed...

ANTIOCH, Calif.—Police say a Northern California homeowner who fatally shot an intruder appears to have acted in self-defense after he caught the man stealing copper pipe.

WARREN, Ore. - Columbia County Sheriff's Deputies are searching for a suspect after a Warren, Oregon homeowner opened fire when he was awakened by an intruder trying to get into his house. Warren is located along the Columbia River between Scappoose and St. Helens, Ore. Deputies said the unidentified man opened fire at about 11:30 p.m. Sunday and they do not know if the suspect was hit by the gunfire. The intruder fled the scene and no suspect information has been released. Monday morning, deputies sent out a press release saying the homeowner is a federal law enforcement officer With...

ST. LOUIS • Early Monday morning, a 47-year-old man became the second burglary suspect to die at the hands of his victim in the past week. The man, whose name has not been released by police, was fatally shot in the shoulder just before 1 a.m. at a home in the 5600 block of Maple Avenue. Police said the property owner, who is 66, was not living at the home, which had been burglarized during the weekend. The property owner had returned there after midnight Sunday to check on the residence and caught the man inside the home in the...

RICHMOND — What he thought would be a quiet trip to his storage shed Tuesday night ended with a Richmond man holding an accused burglar on the ground while waiting for police. The 54-year-old man, who did not wish to be identified, said an alarm sounded as he passed Dale’s Auto Service on Main Street. When he turned around to investigate, he heard glass breaking at the business. Then he saw something black on the counter inside. “At first I thought it was a cat,” he said. “Then I realized a cat couldn’t have broken the glass. I looked closer...

Police in the St. Louis suburb of University City say a suspect in a string of burglaries was caught after a homeowner reported finding him frying bacon in her kitchen.

A homeowner fired shots early Thursday morning as two men were allegedly trying to burglarize his workshop. Nevada County Sheriff's deputies are working to link that incident to a 19-year-old man who sought treatment about 20 minutes later for a gunshot wound. A man who lives in the 12000 block of Pine Cone Circle, off Brooks Road, called 911 at about 1:35 a.m. Thursday to report a residential burglary in progress, said Sheriff Keith Royal. The homeowner told deputies that he was awakened by noise near his workshop and armed himself before going outside to find the two men trying...

The recent victim of an attempted armed robbery says she is taking measures to protect her family against crime by becoming more aware of her surroundings but some in Topeka are taking safety precautions a step further. Teresa, a resident of Topeka, avoided an attempted robbery Tuesday morning after she returned home to her driveway where a man armed with a gun approached her. Teresa says she began screaming and was able to get inside her home and lock the door then immediately called police. This has become an all too familiar scene over the last several months in Topeka,...

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A homeowner shot a 16-year-old burglar in the chest Monday on Kennedy Avenue, police said. Police were called at 10:19 a.m. and found the teen in the 9900 block of Cumberland Avenue. He was taken to MetroHealth Medical Center. Officers learned that the teen and two other young men had tried to enter a home in the 9700 block of Kennedy Avenue. The homeowner heard them trying to get in through a window and grabbed his gun. He found the window damaged, looked outside and saw the three suspects, Sgt. Sammy Morris said. The homeowner told police...

OKAUCHEE - Police say an Okauchee homeowner shot and killed a man he claims broke into his house. It happened around 2:00 a.m. Saturday on Wisconsin Ave. The crime scene tape around his Okauchee home is gone but the memories of early Saturday morning are fresh and hard for Mike Fitzsimmons. "I’m happy that I'm alive today,” Fitzsimmons told TMJ4 reporter Keller Russell. He says he was asleep inside his home when he heard someone breaking in. He grabbed his flashlight and a gun. "I confronted the guy and he told me he had a gun. He came at me...

Police in the Town of Oconomowoc continue to look into a fatal shooting of 39-year-old James Babe. One of their tasks is to determine whether it was a case of self defense or murder. The shooter said his attorney wouldn't let him say much, but described the event as a matter of saving himself and his personal property. The family of the man shot and killed is in shock. They admit he had past run-ins with the law, but cleaned up and was on the right path. Police say they responded to a burglary call that turned into a fatal...

If you were suddenly confronted by a man wearing flip flops and holding a shotgun, you’d probably stop in your tracks. Not surprisingly, that’s what an alleged would-be burglar did last Wednesday morning. Peter C. Vaillancourt saw someone trying to break into the Professional Firefighters Association hall across the street from his house. So he grabbed his shotgun, walked outside, and told the man, “Why don’t you sit down right there until the police get here.” Vaillancourt never pointed his gun at the bad guy. He just displayed it, which, he said, was “intimidating enough.” It was a typical use...

An El Paso County jury on Friday awarded nearly $300,000 to the daughter of a burglar who was fatally shot in 2009 while breaking into an auto lot. Parents of the victim, Robert Johnson Fox, embraced their attorneys after a judge announced the jury’s verdict, capping a two-week-long civil trial in which business owner Jovan Milanovic and two relatives were painted as vigilantes who plotted a deadly ambush rather than let authorities deal with a string of recent burglaries. Phillip and Sue Fox, who filed suit for wrongful death in 2010 on behalf of Fox’s 3-year-old daughter, called the jury’s...

RENO, NV - A convoluted shooting case has kept Reno police busy since early Friday, and an ever-changing story has turned into a case of an elderly homeowner shooting two men over several hours. Police say around 3:30am Friday, they were called to Virginia and Artemesia Streets, told of a man with several gunshot wounds. He was taken to a hospital with life-threatening injuries. Police say that man, Jonathan Rogers, is one of three men who broke into a home on Bartlett Street, on the other side of the UNR campus. They believe the homeowner shot Rogers, who ran through...

OGDEN -- James Linford is about 15 years older than the person he found in his house when he arrived home Tuesday morning, but that didn't stop Linford from giving the intruder what he had coming to him. The 68-year-old gave the man a good beating when he found him in his home at 11 a.m. on the 600 block of Harrison Boulevard. "If I had gotten to the gun, I would have killed him," Linford said. "You would have been reading the obituary." Linford said he'd planned what he might do if he ever found someone stealing from him....

A second degree felony charge of burglary of a habitation escalated into a first degree felony charge of aggravated robbery for three Mount Pleasant men this morning after gunshots were exchanged between the suspects and the caretaker of the building. “Burglars need to realize that if they don’t want to get shot, they shouldn’t be breaking into people’s homes,” said Titus County Sheriff Tim Ingram, who said charges would not be pursued against the caretaker of Mr. Pat’s Emporium who defended both his boss’ property and his own life this morning during a shootout with burglary suspects. The call for...

A Woodbridge man remains behind bars after police responding to a burglary found him in a closet of an adult video store with a blowup doll. Justin Dale Little Jim, 28, an officer in the U.S. Army, was charged with burglary, grand larceny and felony destruction of property. About 2:45 a.m. Tuesday, Prince William County police said they got a call for a break-in at the MVC Late Night store and found the glass door shattered and unlocked. Police set up a perimeter, and a police dog led officers to a closet, where they found Little Jim and the inflatable...

CHEHALIS, Wash. - An Onalaska man who shot and killed a man who he thought was going to rob him will spend more than five years in prison. Lewis County Judge Nelson Hunt sentenced Ronald Brady to the maximum possible sentence, 63 months. A jury found Brady guilty of manslaughter last month. "I think the jury missed this one," said Jack Tipping, a friend of Brady. "This is a great victory for burglars."

ohn Bennell, 27, from Hyde, Greater Manchester, died from a stab wound to the chest after four masked men tried to break in the back door of a terraced house in Salford at midnight on Wednesday. Peter Flanagan, 59, has been bailed to July 25 pending further inquiries after being arrested on suspicion of murder. It comes as Mr Bennell's father said that he too would try to repel anyone who broke into his own home. Garry Bennell, 52, the captain of his local golf club in Denton, Greater Manchester, said: “Householders are entitled to protect their own properties from...

FORSYTH — Charges have been filed against a man and a woman from Harrison, Ark., accused of breaking into a home in Powersite Wednesday. Danny P. Waggoner Jr., 24, and Courtney G. Simpson, 21, were charged Thursday with first-degree burglary and first-degree tampering with a motor vehicle. Taney County Prosecuting Attorney Jeff Merrell said Waggoner is also charged with armed criminal action, for allegedly threatening the Powersite homeowner. According to a news release from Taney County Sheriff Jimmie Russell, deputies responded to a call at noon Wednesday from a woman on VV Highway who reported a man inside her home....

BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. -- A homeowner used a machete to defend himself against a burglary suspect, police told WFTV on Monday. The random, terrifying burglary could have cost a Brevard County homeowner his life, according to police. WFTV witnessed the family comforting the victim after he fought off a accused burglar and two others. A lot of homeowners on Digby Road said they have machetes to clear out brush, but on Monday it became a tool for self defense. On Monday night, the homeowner was recovering in a hospital and police said three burglars randomly chose a home on Digby...

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- A Nicholas County man was shot early Sunday after he allegedly broke into a house in Summersville. Howard Franklin Harris, of Summersville, told deputies he woke up about 12:15 a.m. Sunday to find Christopher Lynn Pino, of Ramsey, burglarizing his house. Nicholas County Sheriff Wetzel Bennett said Harris called police and held a gun on Pino while waiting for help to arrive. But Harris told deputies that Pino charged him, and he had to shoot. Bennett said Pino was shot in the head with a handgun. Bennett said Pino was taken to CAMC General Hospital in Charleston...

A gun-toting neighbor foiled a burglary in a New Smyrna Beach trailer park on Saturday after he spotted people taking boxes out of a neighbor's trailer, then chased the burglars and detained them until police arrived. A man called the Volusia County Sheriff's Office at 5:54 p.m. Saturday, saying he'd spotted a break-in at the Eldorado Estates mobile home park. The witness told police that he and his adult son were chasing the suspects, who'd taken off in an SUV after they were spotted. The duo lost the getaway vehicle at one point, as it traveled along Taylor Road. But...

A paper sign that simply read "Closed today" fluttered in the shattered doorway of Sharp's Outdoor Power Equipment in Georgetown on Friday, where an employee fatally shot a suspected burglar in the head and held a second man at gunpoint during a break-in Thursday night. The King County Medical Examiner's Office identified James Philip Stapleton as the 46-year-old man who was shot and died near the front of the business at 5931 Fourth Ave. S. Stapleton was carrying a chain saw when he was confronted by the store employee and shot about 11:20 p.m. Thursday, said Seattle police Sgt. Sean...

Timothy Chapek was taking a leisurely shower in Portland, Oregon, when he heard an intruder enter the home. He was surprised as a woman with two German Shepherds entered the home. The problem was that Chapek had broken into the house and was making himself just a little too much at home. Chapek was afraid that the homeowner was armed. He locked himself in the bathroom and called 911, fearing that he would be shot. The homeowner made her own 911 call. Chapek was arrested and was charged with first degree criminal trespass. Here are the burglar's and the homeowner's...

A 16-year-old boy was killed and a 15-year-old boy was rushed to a local hospital in critical condition after they were shot by the occupant of a house they allegedly broke into to try to burglarize, New Orleans police said. woodbine_drive_burglary_shooting_police. Police were called to the 7400 block of Woodbine Drive about 11:30 a.m. and found the teens shot in the house's backyard, said officer Hilal Williams, an NOPD spokeswoman. Paramedics pronounced the older boy dead at the scene. He wore gray pants and a hooded purple LSU sweatshirt. They rushed the second boy to a local hospital in critical...

Police say a 70-year-old farmer ventured into a nighttime blizzard to nab a would-be fertilizer thief.

BLUEFIELD — One Bluefield teenager died early Saturday morning, an adult was transported to a Charleston hospital for treatment and two other male subjects were arrested following a shootout at a West End residence. “Three suspects kicked in the back door of a residence at 119 Magnolia Street in Bluefield,” Chief J.W. “Joe” Wilson of the Bluefield Police Department said. “A gunfight ensued, and a juvenile inside the residence was shot dead.” Wilson said the juvenile was a 17-year-old male, but did not release the name of the victim. “One of the three suspects who entered the house was wounded...

COLUMBIA -- A Columbia man used his gun to make sure a would-be-thief stayed put until police arrived. The incident happened early Tuesday morning in the 100 block of Texas Avenue, in the northwest section of town. A woman called 911 around 1:45 a.m. to report that her husband was holding a man at gunpoint inside the couple's car, according to police. Police arrived and found Shamakeith Taylor, 27, inside a truck. Police said that Taylor initially resisted getting out of the truck but eventually complied. The husband told police he went outside after hearing his dogs barking and seeing...

SAN ANTONIO -- When a homeowner saw a suspect attempt to break into his Ford Expedition, he took actions into his own hands, police say. Shots were fired in the 2600 block of Mission Vista after the homeowner and his 3-year-old daughter awoke after 3 a.m. Wednesday from the sound of a car alarm and running engine. Police said the man got his gun and went outside to confront the suspected burglar, coming face-to-face with the barrel of the suspect's gun. The San Antonio Police Department said the homeowner fired three shots in the air to scare the suspect away....

Gallatin, Tenn. - Two suspected burglars got more than they bargained for when a homeowner caught them in the act and shot at them. It happened on Upper Station Camp Creek Road in Sumner County. Homeowners Jeff and Tammy Gibson were returning home from an evening church service when they came face-to-face with the suspects. "I got home first, pulled in the garage, and noticed the garage door was open," said Jeff Gibson. "When I went to look to see what was going on, I saw a black car pulling out of the carport." He says that car took off...

WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) - Police in Delaware say a man broke into a house, got drunk and couldn't make his way back outside — so he called 911 for help. New Castle County police say 44-year-old John Finch was trapped in the home in part because he'd broken into it before, back in April. That led the homeowner to change the locks so that a key was required — even inside. Police say no one was home when Finch broke in again, through a rear window. He stayed for a few days, drinking three bottles of gin and two bottles...

The Marion County Sheriff's Office is investigating the death of man after he jumped through the window of a home he is suspected of burglarizing Sunday afternoon, authorities said. A pit bull chased Laird Butler, 41, after he broke into a Summerfield mobile home at about 2:30 p.m., officials said. The man suffered cuts all over his body and lost a lot of blood. He managed to ask a neighbor for help.Butler died as he was being transported to a local hospital, officials said.

A homeowner in Owasso shot a burglar this morning who was trying to break in to his house. In a report sent to ktul.com, Owasso police said around 4:30 Friday morning they were called to the 9300 block of East 93rd street north for the shooting. 21-year-old Cody Hurst was shot twice by the homeowner and was taken to a local hospital. Police are not releasing any other details yet about exactly what happened. The case will be submitted to the Tulsa County D.A.'s office for review and possible charges.

NORTHWOODS BEACH, Wis. - Two teenagers allegedly broke into a bar near Hayward, Wisconsin, early Tuesday morning with the intention of stealing booze and cash. But, they instead found themselves face to face with the bar owner who shot both of them, according to police. "I gave the guy every opportunity at gun point,” said Bill Campbell, the owner of Countryside Bar, which is about 10 miles outside of Hayward Wisconsin. Campbell described what happened Tuesday afternoon. “My gun was close to his head, at gun point, [I said] lay down, because I was trying to subdue him, and he...

An upper 9th Ward property owner shot a 41-year-old man who tried stealing copper from his flood-damaged house and attacking him with a large piece of wood Friday morning, according to the New Orleans Police Department. Lionel Lewis, 61, will not be booked with any violations because he was defending himself, said officer Shereese Harper, NOPD spokeswoman. Meanwhile, investigators plan to book the alleged intruder, Nathan Thomas, who was hospitalized, with burglary. Lewis said he was inside his FEMA trailer about 7:50 a.m. when he heard someone outside kick down a wooden board restricting access to the space below his...