JENSEN BEACH, Fla. (WSVN) — A suspected burglar attempted to break into a series of homes in Martin County before he came face-to-face with a couple who would take matters, and a weapon, into their own hands.
46-year-old Jonathan Richards was taken into custody after allegedly attempting to break into a condo in Jensen Beach.
Seconds later, the homeowners, Lisa and Chris, would wake up, coming face to face with, in Lisa’s words, the devil.
“I see this scary devil looking in my window, and I screamed like a primal scream,” she said. “The last time I screamed like that was when I gave birth to my son. That’s how primal it was.”
The couple chased after the man, Chris with a shotgun in hand, until he eventually fled.
“What the [expletive] are you doing?” Christ shouted on ring camera video, “Who is this?”
According to the Martin County Sheriff’s Office, Richards continued checking doors before deputies found him nearby, taking him down with a police K9.
“He almost got shot by a homeowner. Who, had he shot him, we would be standing here, and I’d be telling you he did a good job and did what a homeowner should do,” said an officer.
“I’d rather just hit him in the head with the gun. just. I wouldn’t want to ever have to shoot anybody,” Chris said.
Before coming to Florida, Richards was arrested for kidnapping and sex crimes in Nevada and Alabama.
“He’s not afraid of interactions. He’s not. This is not a kid pulling on door handles. This is a bad guy that we would not want in our community to start with.”
“I thought I was safe,” said Lisa. “I know a lot of people don’t lock their doors. They will now.”
The suspect now faces several charges, including attempted burglary and resisting arrest.
He is being held without bond.
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