trobinett
Senior Member
CAMBRIDGE, Minn. - A farmer who chased down a thief and held him at gunpoint until authorities arrived now faces a more serious charge than the thief himself.
Kenneth Englund, 74, was charged with second-degree assault, a felony. The thief, who the sheriff said admitted stealing about $5 worth of gasoline from Englund's neighbor, was charged with misdemeanor theft.
Sheriff Mike Ammend said people can't take the law into their own hands, and that Englund's actions were "an invitation to a shootout. There's so many things that could have gone wrong here."
On Oct. 15, Englund pointed a gun at Christian Harris Smith, 28, and a woman at the vacant farm next to Englund's place in Bradford Township. He then chased their vehicle at speeds of 70 mph, according to the criminal complaint. A 3-year-old child was in the vehicle.
During the chase, Englund used a cell phone to call the sheriff's office and asked if he should "blow them away," according to the complaint. His shotgun turned out to be unloaded.
Englund, a Township Board member for 37 years, pleaded not guilty, was released without having to post bail and is to return to court Feb. 22.
Smith was charged with another theft and was held in the county jail on a felony warrant from another state.
Prosecutor Dan Conlin said no one is looking to put Englund in jail. He said the charge fits the facts, but the case doesn't need to be resolved as a felony.
More than 350 people attended a fundraising dinner for Englund last month and a petition has circulated supporting him.
Bradford Township, about 45 miles north of Minneapolis, does not have a police force, and Englund said criminals can escape by the time a deputy arrives from Cambridge, 15 miles away.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070202/ap_on_re_us/vigilante_farmer
I don't think the guy did a damn thing wrong.
Few years back, I was working on our ranch and happen to go back to the rear barn where we store hay. I saw movement out in the pasture, went to the back deck of the house to get a better view, saw two people laying in the field. I stepped inside to the kitchen, got my AR-15, and yelled for them to stand up. They didn't, and I yelled again, they still didn't stand up. I fired a couple of warning shots over their heads. Surprise, they stood up.
One was male, late twenty's, the other was a female, about the same age, she had a baby with her!
I told them to stay put, and I called the sheriff from the kitchen. They took off running, and no amount of yelling slowed them down. I didn't fire at them, but it was because of the baby.
The sheriff arrived about twenty minutes later drove down into the field, and couldn't find anything.
We lived quite far out in the boondocks on 40 acres, and don't have any farms very near us. We had been broke into about two years previous.
The Sheriff felt, that my shooting at the couple was a little "over the top", but left it there.
I always felt like I handled it correctly.
Your feelings?
Kenneth Englund, 74, was charged with second-degree assault, a felony. The thief, who the sheriff said admitted stealing about $5 worth of gasoline from Englund's neighbor, was charged with misdemeanor theft.
Sheriff Mike Ammend said people can't take the law into their own hands, and that Englund's actions were "an invitation to a shootout. There's so many things that could have gone wrong here."
On Oct. 15, Englund pointed a gun at Christian Harris Smith, 28, and a woman at the vacant farm next to Englund's place in Bradford Township. He then chased their vehicle at speeds of 70 mph, according to the criminal complaint. A 3-year-old child was in the vehicle.
During the chase, Englund used a cell phone to call the sheriff's office and asked if he should "blow them away," according to the complaint. His shotgun turned out to be unloaded.
Englund, a Township Board member for 37 years, pleaded not guilty, was released without having to post bail and is to return to court Feb. 22.
Smith was charged with another theft and was held in the county jail on a felony warrant from another state.
Prosecutor Dan Conlin said no one is looking to put Englund in jail. He said the charge fits the facts, but the case doesn't need to be resolved as a felony.
More than 350 people attended a fundraising dinner for Englund last month and a petition has circulated supporting him.
Bradford Township, about 45 miles north of Minneapolis, does not have a police force, and Englund said criminals can escape by the time a deputy arrives from Cambridge, 15 miles away.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070202/ap_on_re_us/vigilante_farmer
I don't think the guy did a damn thing wrong.
Few years back, I was working on our ranch and happen to go back to the rear barn where we store hay. I saw movement out in the pasture, went to the back deck of the house to get a better view, saw two people laying in the field. I stepped inside to the kitchen, got my AR-15, and yelled for them to stand up. They didn't, and I yelled again, they still didn't stand up. I fired a couple of warning shots over their heads. Surprise, they stood up.
One was male, late twenty's, the other was a female, about the same age, she had a baby with her!
I told them to stay put, and I called the sheriff from the kitchen. They took off running, and no amount of yelling slowed them down. I didn't fire at them, but it was because of the baby.
The sheriff arrived about twenty minutes later drove down into the field, and couldn't find anything.
We lived quite far out in the boondocks on 40 acres, and don't have any farms very near us. We had been broke into about two years previous.
The Sheriff felt, that my shooting at the couple was a little "over the top", but left it there.
I always felt like I handled it correctly.
Your feelings?
