Armed Lee County mom protects daughter from home intruder

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NORTH FORT MYERS, Fla. A mother was prepared to shoot a man about to break into her Santa Cruz Street home to protect her sleeping 5-year-old daughter.

The woman, who wished to remain anonymous for her safety, said she woke up Monday morning to the sound of her doorknob jiggling. When she went to look through the peephole, she saw Joshua Burns, 26, attempting to get inside.

Joshua Burns. Photo via the Lee County Sheriff’s Office.

Within two minutes, Burns unlocked the bottom lock and was struggling with the deadbolt.

“At one point, I actually thought I was going to have to tell the 911 operator that I was going to have to shoot him if he comes in,” the woman said. “I was very scared.”

Deputies arrived around 4:44 a.m. and found Burns sitting behind the wheel of his beige Jeep Grand Cherokee, according to arrest reports.

When they asked Burns why he was there, he said, ” I have no idea.”

The last thing he remembered was leaving RJ’s Bar and Grill on U.S. 41.

Burns is facing one count of burglary and was released Monday night on a $10,000 bond.

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