Men Make Citizen's Arrest

When items came up missing on their Summerville property, Sam Merritt and his son of North Charleston decided to lie and wait for suspects to make another run.

At around 7 p.m. Dec. 11, they caught the suspects and held them at gunpoint until Dorchester County deputies arrived at 103 Pruitt St., according to the incident report. 

The property is currently uninhabited. 

According to Merritt's statement, he and his son saw a sedan pull up to the residence on Dec. 11 and, when the two suspects exited the vehicle, the car's trunk lid popped open. Merritt also reported that the suspects began going through items at the side of the house. 

Merritt and his son approached the suspects with a shotgun and a .22 rifle, advising that the suspects get on the ground, according to his statement. 

When one of the suspects began approach Merritt's son, the son fired a round into the ground to "scare" the suspect, according to the report. Both suspects reportedly complied with Merritt's demand.

Deputies arrived on the scene shortly after and Mirandized the subjects, Shonni Segrest Abernathy, 39, of Goose Creek and Phillip Shane Martin, 22, of Goose Creek, without incident. 

Merritt did not respond to a phone message requesting an interview. 

While talking with suspects, deputies discovered that Abernathy was driving under suspension, and methamphetamine was discovered in the vehicle.