MEADE COUNTY, KENTUCKY — For one Kentucky homeowner returning home to see his home was being burglarized, he was glad to have his gun on hand to defend his life and his property. What he wasn’t expecting, though, was to also have to defend the life of his dog.
According to home surveillance footage released to WLKY News, Mark Jones, 29, broke into the home armed with a pellet gun and a machete. He proceeded to ransack through several rooms of the house. The homeowner’s dog, Shadow, diligently barked and gave the alarm — though his owner was nowhere nearby. Jones first shot the dog with his pellet gun and when the dog persisted, shot the dog again with an antique pistol obtained from one of the rooms.
Thankfully, the homeowner and his wife returned home and he knew something was amiss. He described seeing the storm door closed but the interior door opened — a configuration he admits wasn’t right. Drawing his handgun, he entered the premises where he confronted Jones who was wielding a machete.
“It just happened, and I reacted. I knew I was going to protect my family as much as I could, and (I) had the means to do it,” the homeowner said to WLKY.
He levelled the pistol at Jones and Jones hesitated.
The homeowner then told him, “go down or you’re dead.”
Shadow lay motionless on the ground while the homeowner kept Jones at gunpoint until officers arrived. They took custody of Jones and found additional stolen possessions in his trailer from another home invasion he previously took part in.
The dog was rushed to an emergency veternarian’s office where he was treated for his wounds. According to the news report, the dog is expected to make a recovery.
One of the nails in the coffin for this case was the home surveillance footage the homeowner had on hand to give police. This helps remove any suspicion or doubt of the identity of the robber and his actions.
The second piece — much more important than the first — was the homeowner was armed when he returned home. That gun enabled him to face off against a man who would otherwise not have worried about using violence to secure his exit. A gun evens the odds just a little bit. The rest comes with good situational awareness, proper handling of the gun, and likely a bit of good fortune.
The couple are still remiss that despite the litany of charges pending against Jones, he was released back out onto the street on a mere $1,000 bond. That means this couple is going to have to stay on the alert until Jones’ court date comes and he’s convicted of his crimes and sent to prison.
That’s a tough waiting period. And now Jones knows the man of the home is armed.
Home security, situational awareness, and carrying a loaded handgun every single day, everywhere you go — these are the little pieces of the puzzle that make a criminal’s job that much harder.
Our condolences go out to Shadow, who did his part as a good dog should and kept on that intruder. May he have a swift recovery.