Gaston, North CarolinaFrom the
Gaston Gazette of November 24, 2008
Burglar no match for shotgun-toting couple
A would-be burglar who'd been scared off from one house by a 70-year-old woman found himself a few minutes later staring down the wrong end of a shotgun at another, police say.
And before the sun rose Sunday, Joshuah Scott Rutledge probably figured out that this northern Gaston County town wasn't ripe for the picking.
"If they think Stanley is sleepy, they've got another thing coming," said 56-year-old Phyllis Osborne, who now calls her 62-year-old husband Richard her "knight in shining armor."
Rutledge, 26, of Oakboro was reportedly climbing through a bathroom window of a woman's home on the 3500 block of N.C. 27 in Stanley at 4:30 a.m. Sunday when the woman, who'd had her 70th birthday the week before, spotted him and scared him away before he could get inside.
He then apparently went to a house across the street off N.C. 27 on Watts Street, this time making it inside.
But once inside he found himself staring at Richard Osborne and an old shotgun that his wife's grandfather had once used to slaughter hogs. Whether the gun would still fire a shot remains in question.
Rutledge had pulled a bedspread down to cover him as he lay in the floor in a guest bedroom, Phyllis Osborne said.
But the couple could see his knuckles poking out.
"We told him, ‘If you don't come out we're going to blow your brains out,'" Phyllis Osborne said Monday. "We had to say it three times, but then he jumped up and said, ‘I'm in the wrong house. I'm in the wrong house.'"
At first Rutledge insisted he'd come to the house looking for a friend. Then he said he was there to meet the Osborne's daughter, whom he claimed to have met on the Internet.
But the Osborne's only daughter lives in Georgia, married to a law enforcement officer.
"I wasn't scared, I was mad," Richard Osborne said. "I was mad because he scared my wife."
The Osbornes have been married 30-plus years. He has a little trouble hearing, she can hear a squirrel walking across the roof.
When she heard something Sunday morning she knew someone had entered their home. Even after a quick lookaround produced nothing, she said she was sure something wasn't right.
Richard Osborne then saw the bedspread pulled down from the bed. Phyllis Osborne keeps an impeccable house.
"I'm very particular," Phyllis Osborne said. "My bed has to be made. Not a wrinkle in it."
Rutledge answered Mrs. Osborne with "Yes, mam," and "No, mam,'" she said.
Mr. Osborne had to punch him once and hit him twice with the gun. One strike with the gun came when Rutledge insisted on lighting up a cigarette while waiting on police to arrive, he said.
The Osbornes praised Stanley Police officers for their quick response and follow-up investigation.
Arresting Officer J.L. Springs said Rutledge has not told them what he was doing in the area. He apparently was walking because police have not been able to find a vehicle.
The incident shook the Osbornes up. The first woman who encountered Rutledge that night could not be reached for comment, but Springs said she was doing OK.
Mrs. Osborne said Monday that she still wasn't ready to go back inside her home unless her husband was with her.
But she also said she was ready to forgive. She's repeated to herself a common phrase from her pastor, Bishop Robert Gittens, at Revival Tabernacle Church.
‘"Love heals and hatred destroys,'" she said, quoting her pastor.
As of Monday night, Rutledge remained in Gaston County Jail under $100,000 bond facing two charges of first-degree burglary.
Corinth, MississippiFrom the
Daily Journal of November 27, 2008
Burglary suspect dead, shot by business owner
The suspect in a Tuesday break-in at a Corinth business has died from a gunshot wound inflicted by the business owner, police say.
James Thomas Parson, 25, of North Parkway, Corinth, was pronounced dead at Magnolia Regional Health Center on Tuesday, said Corinth Police Chief David Lancaster.
The police department received an emergency call about 3:30 a.m. Tuesday through 911 to go to the scene of a burglary in progress at The Jewelry Box, 706 S. Tate St., Corinth, the chief said.
Responding officers found Parson lying on the floor inside the business with a gunshot wound to the stomach and called emergency services, which transported him to the hospital.
Lancaster said the business owner reported he heard a noise at the front of the store and took his handgun when he went to check it out.
When he saw a man coming through a window, he ordered the intruder to stop, but he did not. Instead, the suspect came inside the business, reached up and ripped down the video surveillance equipment.
The owner said he again told the suspect to stay where he was or get out, but the suspect charged toward him and he fired one shot, which struck the intruder in the abdomen, Lancaster said.
The case remains under investigation, but no charges have been filed.
Charlotte, North CarolinaFrom
WSOC of November 17, 2008
Burglars Get Into Gunfight With Business Owner
Charlotte-Mecklenburg police searched for two men Monday morning who broke into a business and got into a gunfight with its owner.
Police said the men broke into Big Rob's Sports Bar on Nevin Road in north Charlotte around 3 a.m. Monday. The burglars tripped the burglar alarm, which alerted police and the bar's owner.
The owner went to the bar and saw the men loading electronics into the back of a truck. When the burglars saw the owner, one burglar shot at him. The owner shot back and the burglars got away.
The owner was not hurt. Police did not release a description of the burglars.
Miami, FloridaFrom
NBC6 of November 17, 2008
Coral Springs Man Shot In Groin During Robbery Attempt
A Coral Springs man is recovering after being shot in the groin by a man demanding his wallet, police said.
Mark David Braun was confronted outside his home before dawn Monday, NBC 6 reported.
Braun said he went out for a pack of cigarettes, and as he was coming back home a stranger approached him with a gun and asked for his wallet.
He pushed the would-be robber's gun away, and then the robber saw Braun's gun and ran, but not before firing one shot, Braun said.
Braun was airlifted to North Broward Medical Center. His wife, who was home with their 3-year-old son, saw the shooter run away and get into a car.
Braun was released from the hospital a few hours after being shot.
Police are still searching for the shooter.
Green Pond, South CarolinaFrom the
Post and Courier of November 26, 2008
Intruder shot while entering house
A man who was at home when someone tried to break into his residence on Monday apparently shot the burglar as he was coming through a bedroom window, authorities said.
Colleton County deputies arrived about 9:30 a.m. at the home on Turkey Hill Lane and learned that the homeowner had fired his gun at someone coming in the window but found no suspects on the property. They later got a call from a woman nearby who said her 15-year-old grandson had been shot, Sheriff George Malone said.
The boy was taken to Colleton County Regional Medical Center, treated and taken to jail, Malone said. He and a 16-year-old boy and an adult were all charged with second-degree burglary, the sheriff said.
Malone identified the adult as as Larry Speaks, 20, of Green Pond.
Lantana, FloridaFrom
CBS12 of November 21, 2008
Father Shoots Neighbor's Pit Bull
A local father shot and killed a neighbor's pit bull. The dog was loose and had followed a child into the dad's home.
Law enforcement says no one will face charges because of the incident-- not the father for shooting the dog in front of children, nor the pit bull's owner for letting the dog get out.
It happened in a quiet neighborhood west of Lantana, the dog shot in the driveway of the home of J.R. Martin. Martin declined comment.
But here's what the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office and Animal Control say happened. At least two girls were meeting at the Martin home for a ride to school. The pit bull followed one girl into the house and bit Martin's beagle. Martin first tried to scare away the pit bull with a BB gun, but the dog returned, reportedly growling at the children. Martin took out his .9 mm gun and shot the pit bull. The dog then ran down the street and died.
The shooting upset neighbor Ofelia Cravens. Prior to the shooting, Cravens said her daughter found the dog wandering down the street. Cravens said the pit bull was large, but friendly. Cravens said she and her daughter went up and down the street trying to find out who owned the dog. Cravens even put the dog in her garage for awhile.
"The next thing you hear is a shot," said Cravens. "And that was it. I'm very upset, because I could see if he was vicious dog. But he wasn't."
Cravens added, "I like J.R. And I respect him. But I sure as heck didn't know he had a gun."
Another neighbor tells CBS 12, there had to be a reason for Martin to take such an action.
Animal Control says the pit bull belonged to Fernando and Anna Flores, who live on another street. We were unable to reach the couple.
Rockford, IllinoisFrom
WREX of November 19, 2008
Attempted Robbery Ends With Shooting
A 22-year-old man is under arrest after a morning shooting that started as an armed robbery attempt.
Police say C.L. Phillips got into 29-year-old Antwonne Hudson's car on Searles Avenue, pointed a gun at him, and tried to rob him. Phillips drove the car to Sablewood Drive where there was an altercation, he got his hands on the gun, and shot Phillips in the foot.
Phillips was treated and released at Rockford Memorial Hospital. He is now charged with Unlawful Use of Weapons by Felon and Armed Robbery.
