Olympia Man Uses Handgun to Defends Against Burlgler

[RainbowBob]

Apparently Mr Harrell didn't watch ABC tonight, and hasn't heard he is more likely to shoot himself or his wife - or have the gun turned against him by the burglar.

Olympia, WA -- An Olympia couple woke up to a stranger in their bedroom with seven cartons of cigarettes in his arms.

Susan Harrell said she woke up to hearing noises inside her home, and the next thing she knew her bedroom door opened and she saw a head appear.

"I started screaming and told my husband to wake up," Harrell said.

"I jumped right out of bed; I mean, it's like you don't even think, really," said Susan’s husband, Stan Harrell.

Stan Harrell grabbed his handgun and a flashlight and took off after the burglar.

"I just didn't know what to do. I just took off after him, and hopefully I could catch him," Stan Harrell said.

The alleged burglar got away but was spotted just down the road by a trooper.

Referring to the trooper who arrested the man, "He just happens to see a lone male walking down the street at 4 o’clock in the morning with seven cartons of cigarettes in his arms," said Chris Mealy of the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office.

Police said the burglar had robbed a series of other places before he entered the Harrells' home, including a smoke shop near Olympia.

Surveillance video showed the robber using a rock to smash a window and get into the business and then gathering up seven cartons of cigarettes before leaving.

Detectives said they think he may have also broken into another home, stealing keys and then stealing and crashing a car.

The suspected burglar, 22-year-old Daniel Parks, has been booked into jail and is facing several felony charges.

The Harrells are thankful the man was arrested quickly, but they said his brief invasion on their lives has changed them.


"I don't think I've ever really been afraid, and I don't know what it's going to be like from here on out," Susan Harrell said.


The Harrells said they will be going shopping to increase the security of their home.

I'd be interested to know what's on their shopping list.

Read More

 

[NK777]

Wow! thats got to be one of the worlds dumbest criminals. Amazing story!

 

[A2theK]

Funny I saw the story on the news and NO mention of the homeowner having a firearm whatsoever.

I thought "how stupid can someone be to not sleep with a gun next to them. I used to live out that way and its getting real bad.

The only thing that gives you the upper hand at night is those stupid driveway sensors that buzz inside. I had a guy trying to jar a window open one night and he was sure surprised when I opened the blinds and was standing there with a M4 in my boxers.

 

[HappyRoman]

must have been a scary site..

 

[twoclones]

I am always amazed to read of these burgulars breaking into homes successively! I'd think that getting away with even one would be against the odds.

 

[RainbowBob]

Funny I saw the story on the news and NO mention of the homeowner having a firearm whatsoever.

Go figure! They must have "forgot" to mention that little detail.

 

[gallogiro]

Go figure! They must have "forgot" to mention that little detail.

Oh totally, the media is not bias at all!!

 

[tionico]

and get this: Thurston County, in an effort to "balance the budget", will be DEcreasing the number of members of the Sheriff's Office. We still pay Freddie the Butcher to circumnavigate the entire county with his tractor mower demolishing the weeds four or more times a year. We still pay the geeks to wander about looking for petty violations of county codes (things like cutting trees larger than six inches diameter, building a new fence without a permit, having one too many "junk cars" where no one can see them.... but we CAN"T keep spending the money to keep the law enforcement levels at the too-low levels they are now.

Anyone know what part of town that was in? I'm just outside Oly, and would like to know....