WARRIOR, Ala. — When a trio of burglars returned to a rural Alabama neighborhood for a second round of stealing Christmas gifts, they ended up getting more than they bargained for.
The Wyatt family returned home last Friday to find that their home had been burglarized, with two of their TVs and several of their child’s Christmas presents having been stolen. Home surveillance footage showed a woman had knocked at the door, then once no one answered a man kicked it in. Another man joined the two accomplices in rounding up the goods inside the house, then the three sped off in a black Ford Ranger pickup.
Two days later, police were called to investigate a second burglary in the community in which a family reported that their computer, some jewelry, a trumpet and a knife collection had been stolen.
But before the police could even finish inspecting the crime scene, they received a call from the Wyatts, who promptly informed them that they had personally apprehended the suspects and were currently holding them at gunpoint.
“They happened to drive by and we seen them drive by and we knew it was them and we stopped them,” Chris Wyatt later explained.
The Wyatts followed the suspects, seized an opportunity to block them in, then jumped out of their vehicle and drew their weapons, including a pink pistol that Sarah Wyatt clearly had experience putting to good use.
“They tried to say that they were lost and we corrected them where they were,” Chris Wyatt said.
Deputies arrived on the scene to find the suspects standing motionless as the Wyatts kept them in their sights. They arrested Eric Paul Stillwell, 38, of Quinton, 29-year-old Natosha Derrick of Jasper and 28-year-old Elizabeth Frost of Burnwell, according to Fox 6.
A search of the suspects’ vehicles revealed items that had been stolen from the second home. They’ve each been charged with third degree burglary and second degree theft of property and are being held on a $25,000 bond at the Jefferson County Jail.
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— Cliff Sims (@Cliff_Sims) December 3, 2014
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