Man with shotgun stops thief from stealing lawn mower

COLQUITT CO., GA (WALB) - A Colquitt County man takes matters into his own hands to keep a would-be thief from stealing his lawn equipment.

Waylon Griner says it was the ring of his door bell that woke him up Sunday morning.

"Ringing the doorbell two or three times and once I got up, I came into the hallway and didn't see no one," said Griner, who's lived off Highway 202 for 6 years.

When he got to this door, Griner saw a stranger walking around his property.

"I noticed a white male coming out from my tractor shed, he walked back to his vehicle. So, I said let me go get my phone an video him because I said he's up to something," explained Griner. "He went back to my tractor shed and that's when I realized he's committed, he's fixing to steal something."

Griner saw the man loading up his lawn mower in a truck and knew he had to take action. So, he grabbed his shotgun and decided to sneak up on the thief.

"He had already loaded the mower in the truck," said the homeowner. "That's when I approached him from behind and told him to get on the ground."

He then held him at gunpoint, called 911 and waited for Colquitt County deputies to arrive and arrest him.

Griner spoke to his neighbors afterward who said the same man had knocked on their door. He was apparently going house to house, seeing if anyone was home before he picked his target.

"Only thing you can do for somebody like that is pray for them and hope they get their life straightened out," added Griner.

This isn't the first time Griner has had problems with thieves at his home on Highway 202.

He says just 6 months ago, two juveniles stole thousands of dollars worth of items.

"I come home one afternoon around 5 O' clock, the door was open. I had numerous guns ammunition, an iPad and a bunch of other items stolen," recalled the homeowner.

Griner says that's why this time he had enough and he hopes other would-be thieves take it as a warning.

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