Homeowner shoots and injures attacker in her Port Charlotte home
Florida – Deputies say an accused burglar was arrested Thursday night after she was shot by a homeowner.
According to the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office, 40-year-old Jessica Gutzler forced her way into a residence on Strasburg Drive around 7pm. The victim, who says she knows Gutzler, says she was physically attacked by her. During the attack, the homeowner fired a shot from a handgun, striking Gutzler in the lower back.
Gutzler fled the home and later called 911 for medical assistance. Gutzler was found two blocks away and taken to a medical facility.
She will be charged with Burglary of an Occupied Dwelling – Unarmed, Making an Assault or Battery upon her release from medical care.
Would-be thief flees when Cope woman fires shots
South Carolina – A Cope woman almost lost her van’s catalytic converter to a would-be thief, but he ran away after she fired shots, according to a sheriff’s office incident report.
The woman called deputies at 12:33 p.m. Thursday after she heard someone knock on the door of her Ember Drive home. She then checked on her surveillance cameras and saw a male with a blue sedan. She said the man stood in her yard as if he was checking to see if anyone was at home.
A moment later, the man appeared to be underneath her 1996 white Ford Econoline van. The woman “felt as if she needed to take action,” the incident report states.
She walked out of her front door and shot her Hi-Point 9mm handgun toward the man’s direction. The man fled.
When a deputy arrived, he discovered a yellow saw blade wedged in the exhaust of the van “as if the subject was trying to remove the catalytic converters,” the incident report states.
The woman showed the deputy where she discharged her firearm and the two bullet holes on her screen porch.
North couple thwarts burglary; husband shoots at would-be thief’s vehicle
South Carolina – A couple arrived at their daughter’s Waters Ferry Road residence just before noon on Wednesday only to find a suspicious vehicle in the yard of her North home.
The couple drove to the front yard and honked their horn. Moments later, a man opened the front door, looked at them and slammed the door closed, an incident report states. Not long after that, a man came running from behind the house and got into the mysterious green vehicle in the front yard.
As the man entered the green vehicle, the husband stood in front of it. The man attempted to flee the scene, but the husband pulled his .380-caliber handgun and told the man not to leave. The wife called 911 and the husband told the man he had to wait for deputies to arrive.
The man told the husband he was trying to find Gaston and begged him not to call law enforcement, the report states.
As the man drove forward, the husband stepped to the driver’s side of the green vehicle. He continued to tell the man not to leave, but the man put the vehicle in reverse and backed up quickly. The husband then fired a shot at the man’s tire to try and stop him.
As the man continued to drive, the husband fired more shots at the vehicle. The man got away.
A deputy and a North police officer made sure no one was inside of the home and found an open window in the rear of the house. A deputy was able to locate evidence at the scene. It was secured. A neighbor showed the deputy video surveillance from her home security system.
The burglary task force is investigating the incident.