A rural Crawford County man shot and wounded an intruder after fighting with the man in his garage, authorities said.
Todd Byrns, 47, was being held without bond in the Crawford County jail Thursday on charges of criminal trespass, possession of a defaced firearm, being a felon in possession of a firearm, robbery and theft by receiving.
Crawford County Sheriff Ron Brown said the owner of a home in the 2700 block of Clear Creek Road east of Van Buren was awakened about 3 a.m. Wednesday by a home alarm that signaled a break-in in his detached garage. Grabbing a shotgun loaded with birdshot, the homeowner went to investigate.
When he entered the garage he was confronted by the intruder, Brown said. They fought and the intruder began to run away. The homeowner told deputies it appeared the intruder was heading for the front door of the home and he feared he would go inside. Brown said the homeowner fired a warning shot in the air for the man to stop, then fired one shot at the intruder.
Byrns, who was wounded in the side of the head by birdshot pellets, ran down the road to a vehicle parked about one-eighth of a mile away, authorities said. A woman companion was waiting for him, Brown said.
He said the man began to drive off, but his companion saw he was injured and called 911. The homeowner also called 911, and deputies found the man and woman and arrested them. Byrns was airlifted to a Fayetteville hospital where he underwent surgery for the shotgun wound, Brown said.
Deputies found three guns, one with the serial number filed off, in the vehicle, Brown said. Byrns also had a knife, but Brown said he didn't know if he pulled it out during the struggle with the homeowner.
Brown said the woman told deputies the two were out of money and low on gas and had driven to the area in hopes of finding a free campground to spend the night. When they learned there was a fee for the campground, the man set off to a home nearby to steal some gas so they could leave the area, Brown said.
NW News on 06/08/2018