From the Harford County Sheriff’s Office:
[April 6, 2013, Forest Hill, MD] — On Saturday, April 6th, 2013, at 7:36 a.m., Harford County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a burglary in progress in the 1700 block of Chrisara Court, Forest Hill.
Upon arrival deputies located and apprehended the suspect, Dylan Jacob Short, 18, of 303 Esther Drive, Forest Hill. The homeowner, Mary Johnson, advised shortly after she had awakened for the day she heard a loud crash. When she went to investigate she observed the suspect sitting on her kitchen floor. He had entered the home by tearing out a window screen and then forcing open a locked window.
Short was charged with breaking and entering and malicious destruction of property. He was taken to the Harford County Detention Center where he was later released on his own recognizance. There were no injuries reported.
If that had been my house, he’d more than likely have been take to the medical examiners office.
Maryland isn’t Texas, you cannot shoot any intruder who happens to enter you home.
“One who seeks to justify an assault on the ground that he acted in self-defense must show that he used no more force than the exigency reasonably demanded. The belief of a defendant in an action for assault that the plaintiff intended to do him bodily harm cannot support a plea of self-defense unless it was such a belief as a person of average prudence would entertain under similar circumstances”
So should you shoot any intruder sitting on your kitchen floor, you would be hauled off by the police and facing murder charges, unless you meet the following:
(1) The accused must have had reasonable grounds to believe himself in apparent imminent or immediate danger of death or serious bodily harm from his assailant or potential assailant;
(2) The accused must have in fact believed himself in this danger;
(3) The accused claiming the right of self defense must not have been the aggressor or provoked the conflict;
(4) The force used must have not been unreasonable and excessive, that is, the force must not have been more force than the exigency demanded.
My suggestion(s) –
(1) do not leave a witness
(2) do not empty your clip
(3) aim center mass
(4) don’t shoot someone in the back
(5) get a lawyer
(6) only tell the police “I was in fear for my life”
(7) always load with self-defense rounds
(8) yell “STOP” before you pull the trigger
(9) make sure you know the law
(10) go to range at least once a year to practice
Released on his own recognizance, what a joke the legal system in this state has become
The humble beginnings of another harford county career criminal.
No coincidence Esther Dr is in the Heroin High school district…..
Sorry, Jim, Esther Dr. Is BAHS district now. Never-the-less a product of poor parenting for the most part. Got to hold your children accountable. I know he’s 18, but obviously a problem earlier on. Wake up people.
Come on – there are problem kids, teens and young adults everywhere. The bigger problem, as noted below, he was released. Is this trout season – catch and release? Seems to me that an orange suit and long stick on the side of highway for a few months would be a reasonable tonic. There shouldn’t be a scrap of trash on our roadways so long as “citizens” behave like this. You’re right Volunteer Mom II, this isn’t a zip code issue, this young adult is heading for hard times ahead if he doesn’t right his ship.
you dont know a damn thing. He has had a ruff life. He doesnt listen to his dad who has tried everything to help him. Maybe this is what he needs but dont talk shit if you dont know what your saying
If he’s had a “ruff” life, I certainly sympathize but that in no way excuses breaking and entering. Sorry. And I believe you mean “rough.”
Don’t always attribute poor conduct by young people to poor parenting. I have seen really great parents end up with kids that just turn out bad.
My bad I read zillow wrong.
Your antipathy towards Fallston kids has been duly noted. I detect a hint of jealousy here…
I don’t care where he’s from. Problems abound everywhere. Screw Fallston and your jealousy complex.
You, The Money Tree, are one of the most pseudo-con trolling absurdities of this website.
You give conservatives a bad name.
I don’t care where he’s from either and yes, problems abound everywhere. That’s the point.
You think a kid in Forest Hill living near 23 & 24 would go to Fallston?
Do you even live in Harford county
“Heroin High” is Fallston’s nickname.
It’s just another opportunity for this guy to slam Fallston kids. Not sure what the grudge is but it’s not the first time. Do I think there are drugs in Fallston – sure there are. Do I think Fallston has a worse problem than other areas – not so much. Check Fallston High stats – they have more kids in advanced placement and other higher demand educational rigors so either calling that high school heroin high means those kids do pretty well on drugs or it’s just a bit of manifested envy because there’s a bit more money on that side of town.
He may be in BAHS’s zone, but he is a drug addict and has been on the wrong path for a while now.
The legal system is fine. It protects victims but also offenders from people that are willing to take the law in their own hands.
No one is immune to the powerful grasp of alcohol and drug addiction. Wealth, success,
educational achievement, social rank and celebrity are no protection from this dangerous
disease. It is an issue of our society and requires approriate treatment on any level.
.
How exactly does the legal system protect you when an intruder is in your house.
This is not about treating a drug/alcohol addict, this is about protecting your home/self/family from the instrusion of a person of unknown disposition. When ANY person makes the decision for ANY reason to forcibly enter my home they take on the responsibility for what happens to themself.
I don’t care that they are suffering drug withdrawl and just need to ‘get well’.
Let them ‘get well’ in rehab not in my home.
I would have permanently rehabbed him if he did the same at my home. He would have been free of addiction for ever more.
Defending oneself in their own home would seem pretty logical and reasonable to me. How long do you think it would have taken for the law to come and “ensure your safety?” No – this sap was very, very lucky that he dropped into that house.
Unfortunately Hans Shall, when someone is invading your home and possibly threatening your life and limb and that of your family’s, you do not take the time to come to the conclusion that they have a problem that compels them to do what they do. You protect yourself and your family first. They put themselves in harms way by doing these things, driven by their addictions. It’s sad, but they can and do hurt others in these situations. Who in their right mind is going to wait around to see just how far they are willing to go to satisfy their needs? It is not taking the law into your own hands to protect yourself and your family. It is taking action of self preservation against a dangerous criminal act against you, which last I checked, is not unlawful.
this kid doesnt have a violent bone in his body. Hes just an addict. DUMB ASS HELL but i know him and he needs help… maybe jail will do that
He was released? Wow!~ I’d like to be the ADT sales rep for that neighborhood!
Since the offender was taken into custody – not to the medical examiners office – it shows that situations can be managed appropriately and without increasing the spiral of violence. Approriate self preservation is not unlawful, correct.
Do you have information that has not been disseminated here? (not sarcasm, serious)
Perhaps the woman had a weapon with which she held the intruder at bay until the authorities arrived. I am glad she was not forced to take lethal action against the intruder but you should not assume she did not have the option of violence close at hand.
Hans Shall, No doubt in this case he was apprehended without physical harm to himself or the victim, and we don’t know what transpired that allowed that to be the case. I don’t know what I would have done had a burglar been sitting on my kitchen floor when I walked into my kitchen. No one who hasn’t had it happen can say for certain what they would do. Under the circumstance, I know I would have left the upstairs with a weapon of some sort, which would have been promptly displayed to them. If he didn’t move, as instructed by me, he would have left with the police, if he had moved, I can’t say I would not have injured him to disable any further attempts by him to do harm to me and mine. They have to know when they decide to break and enter that this is the chance they are taking when they do. The world is very on edge these days, no one wants to see violence or death as a result, but when people do things like this, it’s nearly unavoidable that someone is going to end up injured or dead if the owners are home and discover them inside. I am not going to risk being overtaken by someone desperate to fulfill their craving and end up injured or dead myself. Split second decisions are dangerous, but the people willing to take these measures to steal what is yours invite them to be made when trespass and surprise homeowners.
Wow… you guys thumping your chest about how you would kill a short fat 18 year old on your kitchen floor are impressive…..
Exactly, let that be a deterrent. Jail time is a vacation for these junkies. You can easily get your drugs in the detention center.
I’m gonna guess you know this from personal experience….
Jim what he is saying is that it is easy if you have a really loose butt hole.
shut the f*** up you idiot. CORRECTIONAL FACILITY hello jackass its supposed to correct you. The dude needs to learn some how and good can come out of him going to jail cuase he is not a bad dude.
Forget short and fat. Ignorant. Ignorant 18 year old who should know better.
Haha, my homeroom teacher told us about this today in school. I go to BAHS. This is hilarious.
“…he was later released on his own recognizance.”
A succinct 8 word summary of what is wrong with the legal system of today. No other comment is needed.
@He’s lucky^ He was probably on drugs. If you attacked him, he probably would have beat the shit out of you.
Just kidding. lol
you guys dont know this kid. I know him very well and hes a dumb ass. Tha being said he has hard a ruff life. And turned to drugs to help him. Hes lost he needs help.
Please work on your sentence structure and spelling as that needs more help then the dude who is breaking into houses.
dont = don’t
hes = he is (or) he’s
Tha = That
ruff = rough
“life. And turned” = and is a conjunction (life and turned).
Really Luther Lingus, you need to criticize that? I think we call all get what Dude was saying without your help. While I don’t have any sympathy for anyone who breaks and enters (and I’d probably have shot him), I do have a deep level of compassion for someone struggling with addiction and I can relate to Dude’s obvious concern for and understanding about this person that he knows personally, you’re just rude to attack his comment and ignore it’s content… Like I said earlier, I wouldn’t sacrifice my well being to second guess the intentions of an intruder in my home, But I also realize he is someone’s friend, someone’s brother and someone’s child and it pains me to see this everywhere I look these days. People, especially the young ones, dropping like flies, potential never realized, happiness never found, productivity never obtained, just an endless pit of pain and destruction everywhere they go. It is indeed the cancer of our society. Just the same, if they don’t keep to themselves in their time of trouble and it threatens others, it will have to be dealt with one on one. It’s really tragic. I do hope he gets help and he doesn’t end up in the obituaries in the near future. The odds are against him.
This person is extremely dear to my heart. Although we rarely speak, and it’s a quick conversation when we do, I am very concerned for his well being. He didn’t do this to steal anything or hurt anyone. He was just confused, as we all are when life puts us into a situation that we can’t get ourselves out of. But basically what I’m trying to get at is that no one here besides a few of his fellow classmates knows and understands what he’s been through. His story doesn’t give him an excuse, but it does give him a reputation. My heart goes out to him, and I hope he gets help soon. xoxo.
Not sure who breaks and enters someone’s home as a cry for help. If you truly believe that’s true then as an old friend you might want to at minimum find out what the heck happened here? This article is pretty squishy for detail but if you look up his record it appears his mom was required on more than one occasion to pass a drug test in order to maintain custody. Clearly that suggests there were issues here but that doesn’t excuse scaring your neighbors – not to mention the next house he breaks into he just might end up getting shot – sure would have been at my house anyway. He may have already wrecked his life for years to come with a record for burglary…it’s hard to feel warm and fuzzy for somebody this clearly messed up, not to mention potentially dangerous.
I can only assume that if this young man came through the window and into her kitchen, he obviously was not there at her request. If he was there for a legitimate reason, he should have knocked on the door like a reasonable person would have. If I come in to my kitchen and there is someone in there that I did not invite to be there, the last thing on my mind is to try and figure out why they are there. They may not have come in through the front door, but they will be leaving via the front door… with assistance.