NEWS Juliette Man Defends Home From Invasion

[NMGunIt]

Marvin Bowdoin was sitting at his desk when the “cat bandit” kicked in his kitchen door Tuesday night, he said.

It was shortly after 9 p.m.

The 67-year-old Juliette grocer said he and his wife arrived at their residence on Juliette Road just in time to watch the last 30 minutes of “American Idol.” It had been a late closing at the family’s general merchandise store, Bowdoin’s Grocery.

The husband and wife finished the TV show. Then he left her in the den, walked down the hall to his office and started to sort through the day’s business receipts.

“She hadn’t made supper but she stayed in that room for some reason,” Bowdoin said Wednesday from his popular Juliette store, known for fishing tackle and tender cuts of beef.

“When I sat down, I heard that door crash open for some reason and I knew someone was in the house.”

Bowdoin said within seconds the intruder had gone from the kitchen to the dining room and nearly to the foyer with a shotgun in hand.

That’s where Bowdoin stopped the bandit — firing two shots from his .22 Magnum revolver.

“I tried to do my best to protect my family,” he said.

“This weapon was in my pocket. I tote a weapon every day of my life. It’s never away from me at any point. It’s some mean folks out there.”

The invader, not injured, fell to the floor before standing up and running back into the kitchen and out of the home. Bowdoin didn’t chase the person or keep firing.

Dressed head to toe in dark clothing, Bowdoin said he couldn’t tell a thing about the person’s appearance. They exchanged no words.

“I’m guessing it was a he, and he was short,” Bowdoin said.

The neighborhood grocer said had he used one of his three other firearms, he might have made a more precise shot.

“I’m just glad me and my wife are alive,” he said.

Bowdoin’s wife, Linda, stayed in the den during the incident.

“She was still sitting there after. She knew someone was in the house. It frightened her so badly,” he said.

Monroe County sheriff’s deputies continue to investigate the home invasion.

Investigators searched the area with the help of Georgia Department of Corrections K-9 units and the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.

“I spent my time out there this morning looking for cigarette butts and other small pieces of evidence,” said Monroe sheriff’s Sgt. Brad Christensen, a crime scene investigator, on Wednesday.

He said there was no evidence that the intruder discharged the shotgun.

Authorities are encouraging people in the area to lock their doors and secure their vehicles as they stay alert and look for suspicious activity.

The neighborhood is in southern Monroe County near Ga. 87, about 10 miles from Bibb County and 11 miles from Forsyth.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office at (478) 994-5267.

To contact writer Ashley Tusan Joyner, call 744-4347.

Source: Macon

[gdcleanfun]

Good for them. I'm glad they are well and that they lived to tell about it!

[wolfhunter]

Good ending. I'm glad Mr. Bowdoin had his pistol.

[DocBoCook]

why didn't we see this on the National news? No, but we sure here it when it turns out bad don't we?

[Florida]

That's why guns are a good thing. What if those poor people where defenseless? They would probably be dead. Good thing he was armed and ready.

[Booga]

Originally Posted by DocBoCook

why didn't we see this on the National news? No, but we sure here it when it turns out bad don't we?

No joke. I think that I've read several hundred news stories over the years about bad-guys with guns shooting other bad-guys or victims. I could probably count on one hand the mainstream news stories that talk about a victim defending themselves with a gun.

(note: news stories in the NRA magazines almost never hit the mainstream news outlets so I'm not counting them)