Gun-wielding grandpa thwarts home invasion

WKRN News 2

How would you respond to an apparently drug-addled man approaching you in your own backyard wearing a pair of your gloves?

Well, you’d probably respond in a similar fashion to that of a 52-year-old grandfather from Portland, Tennessee, who grabbed his sidearm and pointed it directly at the uninvited guest on his property.

“Some wild man comes out of the weeds towards me at the house. He comes walking over toward me I could tell he was messed up,” the homeowner, a truck driver by trade, told local news affiliate WKRN.

“I don’t know really what to think and I don’t know really why he thought he had to talk to me but he had a pair of gloves of mine on,” continued the grandpa, who asked to remain anonymous. “I pulled my gun out and put it to his forehead and told him to sit down and called 911 and I’m thinking I don’t want to shoot this guy.”

Police arrived on the scene and identified the man the homeowner was holding at gunpoint as 27-year-old Richard Watkins, who investigators believe was involved in other crimes committed in the area.

Upon searching the area, deputies found a pellet gun with a suppressor in some weeds that they believe was used by Watkins.

Watkins was arrested and charged with five counts of aggravated burglary and theft under $500.