Burglary Attempt Thwarted By Homeowner

Darren Doyle, story
Thanks to a barking dog and a few rounds from a shotgun, a Sunfish family escaped unharmed in a burglary attempt in the early hours of Sunday, February 7th. 

According to officials, the homeowner, who remains unnamed for safety reasons, was awakened around 3:30am by the sound of the family pet barking loudly. The man got up to check things out when he said he saw a man in a gray hooded sweatshirt walking out of his basement.

"I told my wife to call 911," the man said. "When I came back out, I saw another man walking in the front of the house." The owner said the two men were driving a U-haul truck that was parked near his garage. The truck had a large van-type cab with a large box-bed, which deputies said could possibly be stolen.

Officials said the man, fearing for his family's life, armed himself with a shotgun and fired three shots during an exchange with the would-be burglars. The hooded men then fled from the scene.

Officials said they searched the area for about an hour and a half, but did not locate the suspects. Deputies need your help in finding the two men and the U-haul truck, which will have evidence of being shot.

The owner described the one in black around 6 ft tall and a stocky build of around 250lbs. The other man, dressed in gray, was about 6' 2" and weighed around 200lbs. 

The homeowner said he was using more precautions to secure his home in the future. "We're doing some different things, and we're going to be more careful about it," he said. "All my family lives in this area and it's pretty brave of somebody to just break in somebody's house." 

The man also said he was thankful no one was hurt and that his family was safe, but that people should be aware that these situations are very possible. "We want to get the message out there that there ARE people out there that will do things like this. Maybe somebody saw something, I don't know. They were headed up 187."

Sheriff's Detective Wally Ritter responded to the scene. "The Sheriff's Office is very happy that no one was harmed, and the homeowner was able to successfully and legally defend himself," he said. "We strongly encourage homeowners to familiarize themselves with the KRS on the use of deadly force. In this case, the homeowner was in a position where his family was in actual physical danger, which justified him in this situation," he added.

If you have any information regarding this case, please contact the Edmonson County Sheriff's Office at 270-597-2157.

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