Hmm…

CAMBRIDGE, Minn. Feb 2, 2007 (AP)— A farmer who chased down a thief and held him at gunpoint until authorities arrived now faces a more serious charge than the thief himself.

Kenneth Englund, 74, was charged with second-degree assault, a felony. The thief, who the sheriff said admitted stealing about $5 worth of gasoline from Englund’s neighbor, was charged with misdemeanor theft.

Sheriff Mike Ammend said people can’t take the law into their own hands, and that Englund’s actions were “an invitation to a shootout. There’s so many things that could have gone wrong here.”

On Oct. 15, Englund pointed a gun at Christian Harris Smith, 28, and a woman at the vacant farm next to Englund’s place in Bradford Township. He then chased their vehicle at speeds of 70 mph, according to the criminal complaint. A 3-year-old child was in the vehicle.

During the chase, Englund used a cell phone to call the sheriff’s office and asked if he should “blow them away,” according to the complaint. His shotgun turned out to be unloaded.

I’m...sort of split on this.

On one hand, I don’t like that Englund chased the couple after he confronted them and they fled.  Defending your person and property is one thing.  High speed pursuits are another.  I’m not sure if such a chase rises to the level of felony assault (that’s probably a bit of over-charging by a prosecutor looking to make a plea deal rather than take this to court), but certainly he needlessly put other travelers on that road at risk.

On the other hand, you gotta respect someone with the gumption this man displayed.  Confronting thieves on your property is the proper response from any citizen, and a firearm is the proper tool to assist in that endeavor.  If more citizens of this country were so adamant in their defense of their property and willing to bring firearms to bear in doing so we’d be seeing a lot less crime.

I say give the guy a ticket for reckless driving and a commendation for standing up to a couple of crooks.