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A Fail Road homeowner shot one teenage burglar in the hand and detained both him and another teen until police arrived on Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2012, according to the LaPorte County Sheriff’s Office.
The homeowner called LaPorte County 911 at about 2:39 p.m. and said he’d just discovered that his home, in the 7800 North block of Fail Road, had been burglarized and the suspects were still in the house.
En route to the home, county deputies learned the homeowner had shot one suspect and was detaining both that suspect and another. After arriving, police took the two suspects into custody. The one with a minor gunshot wound to the left hand was transported to LaPorte Hospital by county EMS, treated and released. Both teens were later taken to the LaPorte County Juvenile Services Center and are charged with burglary, a Class B felony.
The two suspects are 16 years old and from South Bend, police said. County deputies, including police dogs, conducted a search for a third suspect who fled on foot, but did not locate him. As a precaution, the New Prairie United School Corporation was contacted and requested to stop all bus traffic in the area during the search. Once the area was cleared, the buses resumed their normal routes. The homeowner could not provide a description of the third suspect.
The LaPorte County Prosecutor’s Office does not anticipate that charges will be filed against the homeowner since he was attempting to preserve his own safety at the time of the shooting.
