Suspect Arrested In Sanford Home Invasion

One of two men accused of breaking into a home in Sanford was arrested late Wednesday night.

Two crooks broke into a waterfront Sanford home Wednesday, only to be chased out by the woman inside. The owner of the house on Scott Avenue (see map) pulled out her gun and chased the thieves down a nearby street.

Janie Graves babysits her grandson at a home across the street from where the incident took place. Early Wednesday morning, she noticed two men looking out of place as she drove in.

"You know, I just remember saying, 'I wonder what those guys are doing here.' And then I pulled in and I forgot about them," she said.

But only hours later, investigators say two men broke in through the windows on the Scott Avenue home and the woman who lives there was home. At first, she hid from the men, but then pulled a gun and shot at them.

The victim apparently chased her attackers out the back door of her house and then across the neighbor's backyard before they took of running down the street.

Witnesses told police at least one of the men may have tried to hide inside the County Service Building (see map), just around the corner. Police locked the entire place down for at least an hour midday.

"It was a little scary. I mean, we weren't sure what was going on at first. We just saw the police men coming up and trying to secure everything," county services employee Laura Zielinski said.

The victim was not injured during the break-in or as she chased the suspects. The second suspect in the robbery has not been caught.

Previous Stories: February 18, 2009: Armed Homeowner Chases Robbery Suspects