When a group of six young people could not figure out how to raise enough money to bail their friend out of jail this week, authorities say one of them came up with the idea to burglarize her own grandfather’s house.
That plan ended with the grandfather shooting one of the suspects who broke into his home early Thursday morning, according to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office. The suspect sustained non-life-threatening injuries. The grandfather will not face charges, according to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office.
“A grandfather was betrayed by his own granddaughter,” Escambia County Sheriff Chip Simmons said at a Thursday afternoon press conference announcing the arrest.
The sheriff said 18-year-old Cynthia Register knew her grandfather kept money at his home in Pensacola and invited five of her friends to accompany her in the burglary.
According to Simmons, the six friends were hanging out Wednesday night into early Thursday morning discussing ways to raise enough money to get another one of their friends out of jail.
It happened around 4 a.m. at a home in the 7300-block of W Jackson St. The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office says the homeowner — 65-year-old Keith Fendley — shot one of the suspects who broke in.
Investigators didn’t take them long to figure out that the two suspects who had broken into the home were Tayari Crear and Jemarquz Cromwell. Detectives reported that Cromwell was the person who was shot by the homeowner during the course of the botched home invasion planned by the man’s own granddaughter.
After Crear and Cromwell smashed their car several blocks from the crime scene, Natalie Gagne arrived and picked them up before taking them to a hospital to be treated for various wounds resulting from the gunshot and the crash.
One of the six arrested is the homeowner’s granddaughter. Those charged are:
- Natalie Gagne, 19 — armed home invasion/robbery
- Dominique Gonzalez, 19 — armed home invasion/robbery
- Tyari Crear, 18 — armed home invasion/robbery
- Clint Hochalter, 17 — armed home invasion/robbery (principal)
- Jamarquez Cromwell, 19 — armed home invasion/robbery
- Cynthia Register, 18 — armed home invasion/robbery (principal)
From AWM:
The group now faces felony charges that include home invasion, robbery with a firearm, grand theft, and armed burglary. Cromwell also faces an additional charge of attempted murder. The six suspects were all booked into the Escambia County Jail, where they are being held on bonds ranging from $50,000 to $750,000.
While this home invasion story doesn’t have a happy ending, it could have been much worse. This situation could have resulted in the death of the grandfather if he had not been able to defend himself. It’s a good reminder that even if you are elderly or live alone, you can still take steps to protect yourself and your home. Having a security system, keeping your doors and windows locked, and being aware of your surroundings are all good ways to deter would-be criminals. And, if push comes to shove, don’t be afraid to defend yourself with whatever means necessary.
Watch the video report: WKRG/Youtube
Source: AWM
