A Town of Ripon man held a burglar at gunpoint after he caught the suspect inside his home, warning 911 dispatchers that if the intruder even flinched, he would shoot.
"I got my burglar here right now. I got him at gunpoint," the man told a 911 dispatcher after he captured the intruder, according to a recording released by the Fond du Lac County Sheriff's Office. "Get them out here fast. You don't get somebody out here quick, this guy's going to die."
The accused burglar, Michael J. Roehling, 23, made his initial appearance in Fond du Lac County Circuit Court on Tuesday on felony charges of burglary, theft and burglary/armed with a dangerous weapon. He remained in custody on a $1,000 bail.
The case unfolded after the homeowner, 68, arrived home to find lights on inside his house just after 1 a.m. Friday. He pulled in, armed himself with a handgun and confronted the burglar, who had apparently been removing items from the home and was going back on another trip, according to sheriff's officials.
The same home had been burglarized a week earlier when coins and small engines were stolen. Investigators are reviewing whether Roehling may have also broken in to the victim's home in that case as well, according to sheriff's Lt. Bill Flood.
When stopped by the homeowner on Friday, Roehling was attempting to take a large amount of cash, a firearm and other items from the home, according to a sheriff's department report.
"It happened pretty fast. The guy complied with him, and who wouldn't if they had a muzzle of a gun pointing in their face?" Flood said.
The homeowner can be heard on the 911 recording telling the intruder to "Get down on the floor!" and threatening that he would shoot if the suspect attempted to move. Roehling can be heard pleading, saying, "Please don't!"
After the call to 911, a sheriff's officer arrived at the home and took Roehling into custody. Other sheriff's officers, with the assistance of Ripon police, stopped a suspicious vehicle in the area at the time of the burglary and arrested a 24-year-old woman, who is suspected of dropping off Roehling at the home. The homeowner had gotten information from the suspect on the vehicle description.
A case against the woman in the car is under review by the Fond du Lac County district attorney's office.