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| -Lurid Crime Tales- |
| We Don't Cotton To A/C Thieves Around Here (Texas) |
| 2010-07-03 |
| Denton County investigators are looking into a possible case of vigilante justice. Authorities said two men were stealing an air conditioning unit, when the owner of the property shot them. It happened at a race car driving school at Texas Motor Speedway near Justin where the owner lives. Mike Starr was sleeping inside his home, which is a warehouse-looking building on the property of his business, Team Texas High Performance Driving School, when he was rudely awakened. A few hours before most people started showing up for work, a concrete truck driver drove past Starr's home. "He just said the man came out, had the gun in his hand, in his boxers, and asked him to call police because somebody had been shot," said Kathy Saenz, office manager of Gateway Concrete down the street. Investigators said Starr heard noises outside, went out, confronted two men in their '50s, and then shot them with a 12-gauge shotgun. "It's Texas, so everyone has a gun," said Kelly Worthington, owner of nearby Worth Printing. The pair had stolen Starr's A/C condenser and put it in the back of their pickup truck, according to the Denton County Sheriff's Office. "It's pretty serious to steal a man's air conditioning in the summertime in Texas," said Tom Reedy, public information officer. The suspects — Joseph Vergal Prescott, of Grand Prairie, and Michael Allen O'Shea, of Irving, who has past convictions for drugs and violent crimes — were taken to the hospital by Careflite. "Judging from what happened this morning, it'd probably not be a wise thing to mess with people down this street," said Saenz. "You never know what people might do." Vandalism and break-ins are not new to businesses on Industrial Road. "We've had people cut through fences, stealing equipment," said Saenz. But this time, the suspected thieves did not get away. "I just hope people learn a lesson that people mean business and protect their property out here," said Worthington. As for the two suspects, Prescott is in critical condition, and O'shea is in serious condition. Both face possible charges of felony theft. Texas Rangers have been interviewing Starr trying to figure out what exactly happened during the confrontation, so whether he faces charges has yet to be determined. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose |
| #11 I reckon the Rangers will give him a silver plated Colr revolver less the two scalps since the banditos were not KIA. Govner Perry only bagged a stray dog a couple months ago walking his "man's best friend". Buckshot! They will be laid up for a while! |
| Posted by: TEX 2010-07-03 23:18 |
| #10 buckshot Yes, because even a near miss is still a hit, which is good under times of stress, like, when you're getting outnumbered and robbed at the same time. Its what I use in my shotgun for home invader, if I ever need it. |
| Posted by: Laura Lynn Hardy 2010-07-03 21:53 |
| #9 Vigilante justice? They were stealing the guy's A/C unit. What more do you need? |
| Posted by: gorb 2010-07-03 21:10 |
| #8 Obviously Mr. Starr needs some remedial training in Ammo/Load selection. Had he used the tool properly the erstwhile perps would have attained room temperature by now. Not good. When dealing with two legged varmints...never use less than 0 buckshot. 00 is better...and slugs ALWAYS get the job done. |
| Posted by: Secret Asian Man 2010-07-03 20:27 |
| #7 Texas Rangers have been interviewing Starr trying to figure out what exactly happened during the confrontation, Here, let me help. The perps saw Mr. Starr and started toward him with raised crecent wrenches in their hands. Looked bad for Mr. Starr, so he opened fire. Next question. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2010-07-03 19:57 |
| #6 Blood Simple - "Well, ma'am, if I see him, I'll sure give him the message." [you had to have seen the movie.] |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2010-07-03 19:29 |
| #5 |
| Posted by: Guillibaldo Unusing2147 2010-07-03 19:00 |
| #4 Cairn, dang it, not cain. Altho is a sweet typo. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2010-07-03 17:50 |
| #3 Soooeecidal behavior. Stealing AC in Texas is like looting an Artek Cain. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2010-07-03 17:49 |
| #2 "It's pretty serious to steal a man's air conditioning in the summertime in Texas" No sh*t, Sherlock. Anybody who doesn't understand this has never lived in Texas. Hope the thieves weren't standing in front of the A/C unit when he fired the shotgun. That'd be a real shame. |
| Posted by: Barbara Skolaut 2010-07-03 17:49 |
| #1 give him a medal |
| Posted by: Frank G 2010-07-03 17:37 |