and a total stranger just walked in and went right to the coin collection...
Posted on 09/29/2009 6:25:22 PM PDT by marktwain
A man stealing a coin collection in a Hilton Head Plantation home at noon Wednesday found himself running for his life after the homeowner shot at him and chased him out of the house.
The unidentified man, who was armed with a large stick or club, broke into a house on Teal Lane while the residents were inside, according to a news release from the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office.
The intruder entered through the unlocked front door and walked down the hall into a bedroom, where he started stealing a coin collection, according to the release. The owner confronted the robber, who threatened the owner and kept taking the coins, according to the release.
The owner ran to another room, grabbed a handgun and chased the robber. The owner fired a shot and missed, and the robber drove off in an SUV. Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Cpl. Robin McIntosh said she did not know if the shot was fired while they were inside or outside the home.
The homeowner fell while chasing the robber and suffered minor injuries. His wife, who also was home, was not injured, according to the release.
The homeowner told Hilton Head Plantation security officers the robber fled in a 1990 or 1991 green or turquoise Ford Explorer driven by a second person.
The intruder dropped some of the stolen coins as he ran off, according to the release. The collection was estimated to be worth about $150, a Hilton Head Plantation official said.
The robber is described as white, in his mid-20s, about 6 feet tall and 180 pounds, with light brown hair, according to the release. He was last seen wearing khaki cargo shorts and a white, long-sleeved shirt with multi-colored stripes.
A car matching the description of the SUV was caught on video exiting the community's Cypress Gate around noon, according to a Hilton Head Plantation release.
Roadblocks were set up at that gate and the main gate, but security officials believe the robber had already left, the release said.
Peter Kristian, general manager of Hilton Head Plantation, said Wednesday afternoon it's not clear how the suspects got inside the gated community.
He said no guest passes had been issued Wednesday for Teal Lane, and the robber might be a contractor or plantation employee.
Plantation security officials were cross-referencing employee decals and gate passes with the getaway vehicle's description Wednesday afternoon, Kristian said. They also were searching surveillance tapes, he said.
Security officials suspect the intruder was trying to open unlocked doors in the neighborhood and thought the Teal Lane home was empty, Kristian said.
Homeowner needs some target practice.
There is only one road that connects Hilton Head to the outside world.
Even if he escaped the plantation, he won’t get far.
....this is a tricky area...we recently had a homeowner is Charlotte, NC that ran the punk down and shot and killed him out in the street...the kid was black and the home owner white...big stink over it....and you know the rest of the story:...DA chose NOT to prosecute, but the dead punk’s family might sue.
Or a twelve gauge loaded and hanging on the wall.
cargo shorts stained in the seat, that is
and a total stranger just walked in and went right to the coin collection...
“The collection was estimated to be worth about $150...”
That’s one Lincoln SVDB 1909 penny in EV condition.
I would’ve slit the bum’s throat...
When someone's house is broken into, the last thing on their mind is target practice and then analyzing the aftermath.
Not everyone is Clint Eastwood you know.
Some have said protection under their beds, in closets and prominently displayed throughout their homes. Just say’n
nope, this is more proof that we need better gun control
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if the homeowner had controlled his gun better......
Mine are loaded, and concealed hanging hidden in little corners specifically constructed for that purpose.
Home carpentry. Its a terrible thing.LOL.
I am guessing this collection was junk silver, or bullion rounds. Or the robber is a real idiot and stole a US State quarter collection.
That the robber got away and this story didn’t have a happy ending can be traced directly to poor gun control.
Look for a man with a large brown stain on the rear of his cargo shorts.
Hilton Head is not an easy place to get around and if you get out, there are few routes to anywhere.
I think the manager of this gated community should be held responsible for this scumbag gaining access and sentenced to providing remedial target practice for residents.
Well, they can't get him for 'breaking and entering', since the front door was unlocked, though they could get him for 'criminal trespass'. He must have been in the house before, or knew someone who had been, since he knew exactly where to go for the coin collection.
Latest news: Cpl. Robin McIntosh reports the county district attorney has sentenced the homeowner to 40 hours of CQB training.
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