Anchorage, Alaska

From the Anchorage Daily News of January 6, 2007

Man and Mr. Shotgun surprise burglar

ARMY VETERAN: One day after a break-in, victim lies in wait and collars suspect.

Don't mess with a retired military man -- especially one who takes it personally and gets out a shotgun when you break into his home.

Richard Noren, a seemingly mild-mannered ex-Army soldier and current Junior ROTC teacher, decided he wouldn't rely on the police after bandits broke down a door of his Eagle River home and stole thousands of dollars of his stuff while he was out of town.

Summoned by his daughter, Noren rushed back from his Seward vacation, parked his car far away from his house, shut off the lights, hid the dogs and then lay in wait, sitting on the living-room couch with a 20-gauge shotgun in his lap, for the burglars to return.

They did, just as he figured, and Noren grabbed the man who tried to come in the front door by the neck and held him at bay until police arrived.

Police arrested Tracy Randall, a 32-year-old on probation with a long rap sheet, on burglary charges.

"It's disheartening. Your privacy has been invaded," Noren said in an interview Friday. "I wouldn't encourage anybody to just grab a weapon if they don't feel comfortable doing it."

Noren's crime fighting has Anchorage police applauding his self-reliance but warning others not to follow in his footsteps.

"Sometimes you need to take steps to protect yourself," Anchorage police burglary Sgt. Ron Tidler said. "I'm not advocating go grab a gun and stick it in the ear of anybody knocking at your door by any means. ... But people should take reasonable measures to protect themselves -- whatever they deem reasonable."

Noren, 56, is happy with his do-it-yourself stakeout.

"There has to be vigilance in us or we will all be victims forever."

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