Naples homeowner holds would-be burglar at gunpoint

NAPLES, Fla. – A Naples homeowner held a man at gunpoint when he caught him trying to break into his home in the 5100 block of Green Boulevard on Thursday morning.

“I got a guy here on my patio trying to break into my house and I got a gun on him right now,” Robert Dixon told 911 dispatchers.

It’s a homeowner’s worst nightmare– a stranger prying open the door while everyone’s asleep. When it happened to Dixon and his family, he acted fast.

“Luckily he just stood there and was like, wasn’t doing anything. I told him to sit down, stay there. We called 911.”

Dixon says he made the intruder, later identified as Kenneth Paul, sit on a chair in his lanai as he spoke with the 911 operator. At the same time, Dixon stood inside his house pointing his handgun through the glass door until deputies got there.

911 Operator: “I know you have to defend yourself, but if he’s being cooperative, let’s try to wait for the deputies. Is he saying anything?”

Dixon: “No, he’s moving around, touching things.”

“I just didn’t want him to move. I wanted him to stay exactly where he’s at,” Dixon said. “If he started to move a little bit then I want him to just stop. You know, you want to let him know that you’re in control.”

Paul had already rummaged through the trucks in Dixon’s backyard, taking a flashlight and jacket. Dixon tells WINK News the only thing he could think about was keeping his family safe.

“If he needed the television, if he needed the car keys, fine. You can take that stuff and go away, but to protect the family– that was all that I was interested in.”

Dixon says he’s glad he didn’t have to pull the trigger.

Paul’s bond is set at $32,000.