by Nick Beres
MANCHESTER, Tenn. -- A frustrated resident set a trap to catch a
suspected neighborhood burglar and police said it paid off.
"He did good work," said Officer Jason Kennedy.
Manchester Police said there had been recent reports of items being stolen
from area homes. Tyrell Jenkins and his father decided to hide their car to
make it seem like no one was home Wednesday night. That's when
19-year-old Joshua Smith went in the back door. Jenkins's father, armed
with a 9-millimeter handgun, surprised him.
"He looked down the hallway and that's when Dad popped out from behind
a door and said freeze. Get on the ground. And he said he started crying
like a baby," said Tyrell Jenkins.
Smith denies trying to steal anything.
"I knocked on the door, and he comes out with a gun, and I had to lay
on the floor until the cops get there," said Smith.
Smith lives right next door to the Jenkins.
He said he's not a thief and only went to see if his neighbors were
home. But police said he confessed, and Smith is charged with aggravated
burglary.
