Fayetteville Online Tuesday, June 26, 2001

Man defends home in break-in

By Matt Leclercq
Staff writer

DUNN -- Lettie Hudson awoke at 2 a.m. Saturday to the sound of someone beating on her back door.

By the time she got out of bed and looked to see who it was, two men with guns had kicked in the front door and were standing in the living room of her home on Hodges Chapel Road. Hudson called for her husband, Rastus, who got out of bed.

The men threatened to kill the couple, according to the Harnett County Sheriff’s Office.

“I begged them not to kill us,” said Rastus Hudson, who is 61. “I told them I’d give them anything we had.”

He told the men he would get his wallet from the bedroom. Instead, he said, he took his handgun from under his mattress and started firing to scare the men away. The men turned their backs but did not leave, so Hudson shot one of them in the shoulder before he ran out of bullets.

“Each time they tried to fire, I kept popping,” he said. “They had plenty of chance to get out. I knew they would have killed us.”

The men left and drove to Betsy Johnson Memorial Hospital, where deputies found them a short time later, reports said. The Sheriff’s Office charged 22-year- old William Adam Cameron and 19-year-old Clifton Alexander Brewer with first-degree burglary, attempted robbery and assault by pointing a gun, Maj. Steve West said.

Cameron lives on the 500 block of East Canary Street in Dunn.

He was arrested Saturday morning at the hospital. His bail was set at $208,500, West said.

Brewer, who lives on the 600 block of East Godwin Street, was charged Monday after surgery to remove the bullet.

His bail was $15,000, which was posted by a family member, West said.

Right to protect home

Hudson was not charged. “He has a right to protect his home and his family,” West said.

Hudson, who was once in the Army, said it will take a long time for him and his wife to overcome the shock of what happened.

“I’m just thanking God that he gave me the ability to not freeze up and use my tactics from the military,’’ he said.

Staff writer Matt Leclercq can be reached at 486-3551 or leclercqm@fayettevillenc.com

-- Anonymous, June 27, 2001

Answers

We had some visitors last night. We live down a very rural road and about 10:30 last night, two men in a white Ford pickup decided to come up our road. Our vehicles were blocking the road and they had no way out but to backup. We turned our Rotties loose and cocked the shotgun and they peeled out backwards down the road. Damn, can't people read--"Beware of dogs and shotguns?"

-- Anonymous, June 27, 2001

And this one, the whole town gets in on the action... Link

Town Gets Into Act To Catch Fleeing Criminal Ramker On The Run For About 30 Minutes SPAVINAW, Okla., 3:20 p.m. CDT June 26, 2001 -- Nearly everyone in the town of Spavinaw got into the act as police tried to catch a fleeing criminal this week.

Townsfolk stood on their porches and in their yards telling authorities which way to run after a Jay man broke free during an arrest and took off running.

Vance Gene Ramaker was on the run for about 30 minutes, darting between buildings, racing down alleys and resting behind bushes and trees.

He was wanted on more than a dozen misdemeanor warrants.

Ramaker's run ended when a 300-pound deputy tackled him.

Ramaker now faces charges of attempted escape from custody, resisting arrest and destruction of county property. He broke a mirror off a squad car during the chase.

-- Anonymous, June 27, 2001

In my state we do NOT have the right to use lethal force to protect possessions.

-- Anonymous, June 27, 2001

Brooks, what state are you in? Wow, I can't believe that!

-- Anonymous, June 27, 2001

In NC, if your home is invaded (or about to be, e.g., door kicked in) and you believe your life is in danger, you may shoot to kill. Law passed a few years ago.

-- Anonymous, June 27, 2001

I think I read that South Carolina declared "Open Season" on home intruders with no bag limit ! This was from the Govonor's office this spring.

-- Anonymous, June 28, 2001

"Damn, can't people read--'Beware of dogs and shotguns?" and "South Carolina declared "Open Season" on home intruders with no bag limit !"

LOL. My wife always rushes to read the monthly Armed Citizen section of the NRA mag.

-- Anonymous, June 28, 2001

California, they have to be inside your home before you can shoot 'em, but all the cops I know tell you to just drag the body indoors a little bit, and don't worry about it... just make sure there isn't a blood trail half way down the block...

-- Anonymous, June 29, 2001

I'll have my rotties drag them inside. I don't know if it was the shotgun or the dogs that scared off our unwanted visitors the other night. I doubt they'll be back. We have a couple of sheriff's who live in the vicinity, and they've been notified.

-- Anonymous, June 29, 2001

DaneDood, I'm in Massachusetts. Essentially, you better be able to prove that your life was in danger and that you had no escape route.

-- Anonymous, June 29, 2001

if you have the space, and the back for it, might be easier to just dig a hole...

Not that I am condoning such a tactic...

-- Anonymous, June 30, 2001