Break-In Attempt Terrifies Family In Stafford: Police

STAFFORD, VA—A man has been arrested for a Sept. 2 incident in which he tried to break into a residence while terrifying its occupants in the southern end of the county, the Stafford County Sheriff's Office announced Thursday. Gary Wayne Brown, 42, of Fredericksburg, was charged with public intoxication and attempted breaking and entering.

That Sunday, police went to the residence for a reported breaking and entering in progress. The homeowner said he woke up when his wife began screaming that someone was trying to break into the house. So he grabbed a gun, went to the balcony of the home and heard someone pounding on the doors below.

He saw the man and told him to leave the property, at which point the man demanded the door be open. The man continued to pound, and the homeowner continued to demand that he leave. Finally, the homeowner fired a shot toward the river to scare away the man.

Other police units found and detained Brown at the nearby intersection of West Cambridge Street and Washington Street. He told them he had just been released from Mary Washington Hospital for intoxication. He said he tried walking home and took a shortcut through the woods, which led him to the residence.

Photo: Stafford County Sheriff's Office