Familiar Face

First Coast News reported out of Columbia County, Florida, on January 8 about an attempted burglary that involved a suspect who was no stranger to the homeowner. The intruder entered the man’s home in the middle of the night, armed with a knife. The homeowner, 63-year-old Alberto Casola, heard someone enter his house, so he quickly grabbed his handgun and went downstairs to investigate. Once downstairs, Casola witnessed a man enter his living room. Casola, fearing for his life, fired at the intruder, hitting him in the leg. The injured suspect fell to the floor and dropped his knife. Casola walked closer, but the injured suspect sprang up and frantically ran from the house. Casola wasn’t sure if the injured suspect had another weapon and would return, so he retreated to a nearby bathroom and barricaded himself inside and waited for police to arrive. Authorities arrived on the scene, followed the trail of blood from the house, and located 25-year-old Steven Craycraft. Craycraft was taken to a nearby medical facility, where he was treated for a gunshot wound. Investigators later learned that Craycraft had done some work at the home previously, and authorities believe that he may have been attempting to rob Casola.

The Gainesville Sun reported on January 9 that police do not plan to charge Casola in the shooting, since it appeared to be a justified case of self-defense. Columbia Sheriff’s spokesman Murray Smith told the Sun, “Taking what he said into account, he’s totally in the clear.”

Holly Jolly

OsageCountyOnline.com reported out of Lyndon, Kansas, on January 8 about some courtroom testimony that detailed the tense moments before a homeowner shot an intruder. The testimony came from preliminary hearings in Osage County District Court charging 49-year-old Bruce Jolly with three felony charges. Jolly is the suspect in the burglary of Ashley Mundy’s home, as well as some other felony charges.

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