ELIZABETHTON – A burglar armed with a gun proved no match for two residents armed with a baseball bat over the weekend, according to a Carter County Sheriff's Department report.
Deputy Paul Morell responded to a burglary in progress at 1593 Broad Street on Friday night. When he arrived, Morell reported that residents Mark Deal and his wife Anna were holding baseball bats and standing over burglary suspect Timothy Wayne Berry, 25, 672 Highway 91. Morell said a Raven Arms .25 caliber pistol was lying on the floor approximately 6 feet from Berry.
The Deals told Morell they heard noises coming from a baby monitor which had been placed in the garage. They went to investigate and Mark Deal said he saw Berry in the back of the garage.
The Deals confronted the man. Anna Deal said Barry came at her in a threatening manner, so she struck him once with her baseball bat. The Deals said Berry then pulled out the pistol and said, “I hate to do this.” At that point, Mark Deal said, he turned his flashlight onto strobe to temporarily disorient Berry and then struck the handgun from Berry’s hand.
Mark Deal said Berry fell to the floor and began crying.
A black backpack which was said to belong to Berry was found at the entryway to the garage. Mark Deal said inside the backpack were several items that belonged to Mark Deal, including items that had been removed from Mark Deal’s 1972 Ford F-100 pickup truck parked inside the garage.
The items reported stolen included a Valuecraft automobile battery, valued at $65; a Ford alternator, valued at $65; a Ford air filter, valued at $30; a pair of tubing cutters, valued at $30; paint brushes, work gloves, and a can of Fix-a-Flat.
Morell took Berry into custody and charged him with two counts of aggravated assault, burglary and theft under $500. Berry is scheduled to answer the charges in Sessions Court on Oct. 29.