Man accused of breaking into neighbor's home; deputies say resident fired shot at intruder

KANAWHA COUNTY, W.Va. (WCHS) — UPDATED, 3:26 p.m. 2/17/21

Kanawha County deputies said a man has been charged after he broke into the home of a neighbor, and the resident fired a shot at the alleged intruder.

Larry A. Sheets, 54, has been charged after an incident that was reported Thursday on Strawberry Road in St. Albans, according to a criminal complaint filed in Kanawha County Magistrate Court.

Deputies said the man reported he awakened after hearing a loud noise and saw his neighbor, Sheets, inside his home. The resident had a pistol, and he said Sheets told him to shoot him.

Sgt. Ana Pile, spokesperson for the sheriff’s office, said the resident fired one shot and missed.

According to the complaint, the resident said the front door of his home had been bashed in, and a sledgehammer was found near the door on the outside that didn’t belong to him.

Sheets has been charged with burglary and was being held on a $5,000 surety/cash bond at the South Central Regional Jail.

ORIGINAL STORY

The Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office said it is investigating after a man awakened and fired a shot at a neighbor he found inside his house.

Metro 911 said the shooting was reported about 6:40 a.m. Thursday in the 1500 block of Strawberry Road in the West Side area outside of St. Albans.

The man fired one time, but he missed, Sgt. Ana Pile, spokesperson for the sheriff’s office, said.

Pile said deputies located the man at a nearby property who had reportedly been inside his neighbor’s house and detained him. The man has been arrested.

A sledgehammer was located near the front door of residence that was allegedly broken into, Pile said.