Homeowner tracks down thieves, locks them in trunk - WLOX.com - The News for South Mississippi

Investigators say a Walterboro man locked up two teenagers in his car trunk after the duo attempted to steal items from his work truck.

The Colleton County Sheriff's Office charged 17-year-old Harry Tavaris Pinckney and 18-year-old Treven Gregory Lingard with trespassing.

Deputies responded to a home on Koger Street around 4:41 a.m. on Wednesday in reference to two people attempting to steal from a truck. The 35-year-old victim, Tommy Wilber Mixon Jr., said someone had stolen items from his car in the past and he had installed security systems to alert him if someone came on his yard.

Mixon said when his security system went off, he looked outside and saw two people in his front yard standing around his work truck. Authorities say the suspects then ran and jumped his fence.

The victim said he then got into his vehicle and went down the road to try to find the suspects. A police report states that the Mixon found the suspects, pointed his revolver at them and ordered them to the ground.

According to investigators, the victim then had the suspects get inside his car's trunk. 

"I pulled my gun on them and put them in the trunk of my car," Mixon said. "And they complied because I had a gun on them."

Mixon said he then closed the trunk and drove back to his home to call police.

"I thought once they were in [the trunk], I would just leave them in there until the police showed up," Mixon said.

Authorities say when Mixon arrived at his home, the trunk opened and the suspects jumped out and began to run. The victim told deputies he then heard gunshots and saw bullets strike the road two feet in front of him.

Mixon reported hearing six gunshots and last saw the two suspects running in the woods near his home.

"I wanted to return fire, but I didn't want to hit my neighbor's house, so I didn't do it," Mixon said.

Investigators say the South Carolina Highway Patrol found the two suspects near the intersection of Gunter Street and Koger Road. The sheriff's office says both of the suspects denied involvement in the incident and said they were not inside Mixon's trunk.

The suspects were arrested for trespassing and locked up at the Colleton County jail. Deputies say they did read Miranda rights to Mixon because of the possible criminal charges he may face, but Mixon said he wanted to continue to provide details of the incident.

Mixon said that it was the third time that thieves had attempted and failed to steal from him and says the security systems installed at his home don't seem to be deterring them.

"Apparently it doesn't do any good," Mixon said. "There's cameras and motion sensors, but they still do it...Just wondering what it's going to take to make them stop."

No charges have yet to been filed against Mixon.

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