Authorities in Saginaw County, Michigan are praising the actions of a pair of armed citizens who thwarted a home invasion by a man suspected to be under the influence of drugs just a couple of days ago; highlighting the importance of not only being able to protect ourselves with a firearm, but others as well.

The incident in question unfolded last Friday morning around 7:30, when police in St. Charles, Michigan were dispatched on a call about a man who was jumping on a car and yelling. By the time officers arrived twenty minutes later, the man had apparently gone from the top of the car to the front of a nearby home, where he was confronted by two neighbors; both of them armed in case the individual became violent.

Before law enforcers arrived at the scene, the man broke into a house on Sanderson Street, officials said. Watching the outburst were two neighbors — armed and carrying concealed pistol licenses — who then “rushed to the scene to stop the home invasion,” [Saginaw County Undersheriff Miguel] Gomez said.

At 7:51 a.m., the two neighbors detained the man until deputies arrived two minutes later, Gomez said.

The home was occupied by a 41-year-old woman and her two children, ages 13 and 9, the undersheriff said.

“No injuries occurred due to the quick action of the two citizens that took control of the suspect shortly after him gaining entry into the home,” Gomez said. “It is unknown what the suspect’s intentions were, but he did appear to be under the influence of drugs.”

Like most defensive gun uses, neither armed citizen had to pull the trigger of their legally-carried firearm in order to put a stop to the threat. Even if the suspect was under the influence of drugs, he apparently was still attached enough to reality to comply with the neighbors’ demands to go no further into the woman’s home and to stay put until police arrived and took him into custody.

Toddell Boykins, 32, on Monday, Nov. 28, appeared before Saginaw County District Judge Elian E.H. Fichtner for arraignment on single counts of first-degree home invasion and malicious destruction of personal property between $1,000 and $20,000. The former is a punishable by up to 20 years in prison and a $5,000 fine, while the latter carries a maximum penalty of five years’ imprisonment and a fine of $20,000 or three times the value of the damage property.

Fichtner set Boykins’ bond at $10,000 cash-surety or 10%. As of Tuesday morning, Boykins remains in custody at the Saginaw County Jail.

Boykins is due back in court on December 19th for a preliminary hearing, but we’ll have to wait and see if these charges stick or if prosecutors end up offering him a plea deal to lesser offenses, as it too often the case when dealing with those accused of committing violent crimes.

My guess is that Boykins is going to get a relative slap on the wrist, but hopefully his run-in with the woman’s armed neighbors has given him a wake-up call to get his life together… or at least the wisdom to stay out of strangers’ homes, because Boykins might not be nearly as lucky if there’s a next time.