Intruder Stabbed By Resident Charged With Burglary

HOLLY SPRINGS, GA -- A man who was stabbed earlier this month by a resident while trying to break into a home in Holly Springs has been arrested. Joshua Hill is charged with one count each of burglary and intimidation/exploitation of an elderly person, Holly Springs police detective Greg Bettis told Patch.

Officers were dispatched around 2:30 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 6 to burglary-in-progress call at at home on Highway 5 near Rabbit Hill Road. Officers were informed that the elderly resident was awakened by the sound of a person breaking into the house and called 9-1-1 to report the incident.

Bettis previously told Patch the intruder entered the house and "was recognized by the tenant." Hill allegedly assaulted the resident, who Bettis said defended himself by stabbing the subject during the confrontation.

Hill, who Bettis said was stabbed twice in the torso ran, from the house and was found in the vicinity of where the altercation took place. Hill was transported to an area hospital for treatment and was placed under arrest on unrelated charges. Holly Springs police later issued warrants for his arrested in connection with the Dec. 6 burglary.

This was the second report in as many months in which a suspect was injured after breaking into homes in Cherokee County. On Nov. 16, 19-year-old Donavan Simmons of Acworth was shot in the eye by a homeowner who allegedly caught him trying to forcibly enter the house through a basement window. He was charged with residential burglary, terroristic threats and possession of a schedule IV drug with the intent to distribute following the incident.

Photo: Joshua Hill. Credit: Cherokee Sheriff's Office