A St. James man suspected of burglarizing a Maries County home is fortunate he wasn't shot by the homeowner and instead wound up in law enforcement's custody.
That's the view expressed by Maries County Sheriff Chris Heitman following the arrest of Michael E. Gaither, 49, who's accused of burglary, as well as possessing a controlled substance, drug paraphernalia and burglary tools.
Heitman claims Gaither was burglarizing a house Wednesday when its owner returned home to discover him there. The owner called 911 to report the break-in; then he and a neighbor held the suspect at gunpoint until deputies arrived.
Deputies report finding several bags of suspected methamphetamines, drug paraphernalia, prescription pills and burglary tools in Gaither's possession. They also recovered items from the residence and another burglary in St. James.
The sheriff said Gaither has numerous felony convictions and is currently on parole.
"The suspect is very lucky he wasn't legally shot in this situation," Heitman stated. "I'm a big supporter of the Second Amendment, and with the victim's help, this career criminal has been brought back to justice."