Roseto, Pennsylvania

From the The Express-Times of September 26, 2007

Boy defends home with BB gun

An 11-year-old boy home sick from school on Monday defended his home with a BB gun when an intruder waltzed in the back door, police said.

The boy, whose name was not released, was watching television when a man walked into the Webster Street home about 1:30 p.m. through an unlocked door. Police said the boy's German shepherd, Montana, then stood up and began barking at the man.

Police said the boy jumped up and told the man not to move, pointing the gun at him.

The boy, who only identified himself as Joe when contacted Tuesday, said he shot the man with a plastic BB when he reached for his waistband.

Police said the intruder grabbed his chest and then ran out the rear door. The boy then called his mother on her cell phone, and she told him to call 911.

The boy told police that before the intruder entered the house, he noticed a black sport utility vehicle with tinted windows "creeping" around the block about six times.

Roseto police Chief Jack Nicholais said an officer Monday night spotted a vehicle matching the description in the borough area.

"It seems to be confirmed," Nicholais said.

Bangor and Washington Township police could not find any vehicles or suspects matching the description after the incident, a Roseto police news release said.

The boy described the man to police as a 20- to 30-year-old white bald male, about 200 pounds with a bulky build and broad shoulders. Police said the man was wearing a red bandana around his forehead and had a scar on the left forehead running down through the bandana to just above his eye. He was wearing tinted sunglasses and had a "triangle-type" goatee just below his lip. He was wearing a navy blue shirt with long sleeves.