Mint Hill man holds burglar at gunpoint until police arrive

MINT HILL, N.C. — A Mint Hill man held a burglar at gunpoint after police said he tried breaking into his home and then a U-Haul Saturday night.

Police were called to the house on Heathergate Lane late Saturday night and investigators said 23-year-old Chandler Mitchell has been charged with felony breaking and entering into a motor vehicle and violating his probation.

IMAGES: Mint Hill burglary

Ron Eberwin said he was inside the house he was in the process of moving into Saturday night when Mitchell tried to break in through the window.

Eberwin told Channel 9 he believed it was the same suspect who stole precious mementos of his late father just days ago.

"I figured the burglar would come back," said Eberwin. "When I saw him in the window my heart started racing. I said to myself, 'This is it.' As soon as his face wasn't in the window I pulled up my gun real slow and slid one into the chamber."

Eberwin, who is disabled, said he slowly got up from his chair and listened as the suspect attempted to enter the home through each window. When the burglar wasn't able to get in, Eberwin said he tried to break into a U-Haul parked in the driveway.

"He rolled the door up about three feet and then rolled inside of it," said Eberwin. "That's when I knew we had him."

Eberwin called 911 and his friend, who quickly arrived in his truck. That's when the confrontation happened.

"I said, 'Let me see your hands or I'll kill you right here,'" said Mike Curlee, who rushed back to the home to help Eberwin. "I told him to get on the ground, cross his feet and don't move until police get here."

Curlee told Channel 9 he immediately recognized Mitchell as the man who often stays with his girlfriend at the house next door.

Eberwin said they could hear police approaching when Mitchell offered to make him a deal.

"He said, 'If you let me go before the cops get there I'll tell you where your stuff is,'" said Eberwin. "Right then I knew it had to have been him who broke into the house two nights ago."

Eberwin said in that case, someone stole medals and badges his late father earned while serving in the military and as a firefighter -- priceless items he hopes will be recovered or returned.

"I can't replace those memories of my dad," said Eberwin. 

Police have not yet charged or confirmed if Mitchell is responsible for the previous break-in.

WSOC