WALTERBORO, SC (February 19, 2020) – A Walterboro man who was caught by homeowners in the act of burglarizing their home has been sent to prison.
Christopher Saunders, 41, was found guilty Wednesday of first-degree burglary by a Colleton County General Sessions jury. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison.
“The victims in this case went to sleep and locked the doors to their house like they do every night,” said Ceth Utsey of the 14th Circuit Solicitor’s Office, who prosecuted the case. “They awoke to a nightmare – a complete stranger in their home.”
A man and his wife were awakened by a loud noise in their living room at about 11:45 p.m. on Jan. 14, 2019. The man went to his living room to investigate and found Saunders standing next to the couple’s television. The man yelled for Saunders to get out of the house, but instead of leaving, Saunders threw a computer chair at the man instead.
Saunders then rushed the man and tried to grab him around the waist. However, the man pushed Saunders to the floor and held him there. The man’s wife grabbed a butcher’s knife from the kitchen. After calling 9-1-1 to report the intruder, the couple held Saunders at knife-point nearly 10 minutes until authorities arrived.
Saunders threw a brick through a glass door to break into the house.
“Most burglars get away,” Utsey said. “These homeowners held Saunders there until authorities arrived and made sure justice was done.”
Circuit Court Judge Carmen T. Mullen handed down Wednesday’s sentence.
