An Indiana man faces charges of burglary, criminal mischief, and bribery after allegedly breaking into a house in Muncie, Indiana and making himself at home. 33-year-old Kenneth Gregory Quilaton might have gotten away from the scene were it not for an armed citizen who held Quilaton at gunpoint until police arrived.
Quilaton had allegedly cased the home in question for "several" days, discovering that the homeowners were on vacation. What he didn't realize is that the homeowner's 14-year-old son had been staying with friends. Justin Oliver, his friend's dad and a vice principal at Muncie Central High, drove Max Calhoun back home on October 21, a few hours before Calhoun's parents were set to return. But as Oliver drove away, he spotted Max running away from the home.
“He said, ‘Somebody’s in the house, somebody’s robbing the house.’ I told him to wait there, I backed up, and grabbed my gun and went in,” Justin Oliver, who’s also a Marine veteran, recalled.
The video shows Oliver heading inside the house to confront a man who had made himself comfortable while the family was away.
“He said, ‘Don’t shoot me, I’m not dangerous.’ I said, ‘Well you’re robbing my friend’s house so don’t tell me you’re not dangerous,'” Oliver added.
Oliver kept his gun trained on Quilaton until sheriff's deputies arrived on scene to take him into custody. At that point, Quilaton allegedly offered one deputy $100 to let him go, resulting in the bribery charge.
According to authorities, this wasn't a typical burglary where the suspect is gone as soon as possible. Instead, Quilaton is accused of basically moving in while the homeowners were away.
Quilaton had fallen through the attic, took a shower, ate pizza rolls and fed his dog while camping out in the empty home, Max’s mom, Ashley Calhoun, told Storyful.
He had also defecated in a decorative container “despite having multiple toilets,” the perplexed homeowner revealed.
The alleged intruder had “apparently cased” the house for a few days to make sure that the family was indeed on vacation after he met her husband, Rob, to discuss an item he had for sale, Calhoun said.
“He says, ‘I can’t even believe this. I met this guy just in passing. We talked about an item I had that he was really interested in. I told him, I don’t really have time to look for it, it’s up in our attic. I’m leaving for two weeks on Wednesday,’” Calhoun told Storyful.
Once inside, Quilaton allegedly searched for the item in the attic “and fell through the attic into my garage, leaving a giant hole in the ceiling and a mess,” she said.
Calhoun now realizes it wasn't a great idea to tell a stranger the family would be away from the house for two weeks. While that was pretty dumb, breaking into the home and squatting there while the real residents are away is even more idiotic... not to mention illegal. And honestly, why poop in a vase? That's just weird, and I'm sure it's a detail that Quilaton's new roommates at the Delaware County Jail were delighted to learn.
Quilaton is now in custody, thanks in part to the quick thinking of Justin Oliver. I'm glad he had his pistol with him when he dropped his son's friend off at home, and grateful he was able to hold Quilaton at bay without having to pull the trigger.
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