Devon L. Smith

An Indiana man suspected in three home burglaries in a Terre Haute neighborhood scuffled briefly with an armed homeowner before escaping, only to be apprehended soon after the incident, police said.

Detective John Newman of the Vigo County Sheriff’s Department arrested Devon L. Smith, who told police that he got into an altercation with the homeowner, resulting in the handgun being fired without anyone being injured.

According to a police report, the homeowner had installed a motion detector after prior burglaries, and the device alerted him that someone had entered his garage. Vigo County Sheriff Greg Ewing said the homeowner carried a loaded handgun with him to the garage, turned on the light, and found a man crouched behind a vehicle. The homeowner held the man at the scene while police were notified, but the intruder edged close enough to attack the homeowner. During the struggle the gun discharged, and the suspect ran from the scene.

Ewing told the Terre Haute (Ind.) Tribune Star that Smith, 21, was connected to two other break-ins in early May which occurred in the early morning hours.

“He is the most dangerous type of burglar,” Ewing said of Smith. “He was…stashing all the stuff he took, at a time when most people are home.”

In one of the other burglaries, a child’s baseball equipment and athletic bag were taken from a garage. In another incident, fishing and camping gear were taken. Those items later ended up in a yard sale in a nearby neighborhood.

According to a probable cause affidavit, Newman contacted the people who had bought the baseball equipment and tracked how the items ended up at the Fifth Avenue home. The trail led back to Smith, who resided with his mother in Farmersburg, about 20 miles away, police said.

In a statement, Smith admitted to breaking into the Vigo County residences as he was walking home late one night, police said. Smith told police that he started checking for open garage doors, and was able to enter three structures. Police report that Smith said he needed money and was going to sell the items that were taken.

Smith was booked into the Vigo County Jail on charges of burglary, residential entry, battery and theft, and his bail was set at $35,000 cash.

The Terre Haute (Ind.) Tribune Star contributed to this story.