Troy man holds drunk intruder at gunpoint after she wanders into his home

TROY, Mich. (FOX 2) - A Troy family was startled after hearing someone trying to get into their house in the middle of the night.

Jason Holland recalled the heart-pounding moment he confronted a drunk woman who walked into his house, believing it was her own. 

"I held the weapon on her, walked over to the door, opened the door and said get out of the house while you can," said Jason Holland, who added: "'Please. Don't make me shoot you.'"

FOX 2: "What's running through your mind when all of this is happening?"

"Oh my God, she's going to kill us," said Melicent Holland.

The scary encounter happened at a home in the area of Wattles and John R in Troy at about 1 a.m. last Wednesday.

Police say the 26-year-old woman was drunk at nearly three times the legal limit, when she showed up on the Hollands' front step, banging on the door. Her noise alerted the family dog and Jason's mom, Melicent.

"I kept saying who are you? What do you want? And she just (kept) rattling the door," Melicent said. "She kept it up and I got kind of worried." 

As she went to get Jason, the woman went to find another way inside the house. She walked into the backyard and through the backdoor, which the Hollands had unlocked.

"I looked over there and said, 'Oh my God, she's coming in the house.'"

Jason grabbed his gun. 

"So I immediately pointed the pistol at her," he said.

But the woman, rambling and incoherent, did not budge. Jason never pulled the trigger, but held her at gunpoint until police arrived.

"I don't think she had any malice intent she was extremely intoxicated," he said. "It could've went the other way."

It has happened before.
 
Dearborn Heights man Theodore Wafer is serving a 17-year prison sentence for shooting and killing Renisha McBride back in 2013 as she beat on his front door. She was drunk and looking for help after crashing her car. 

"I know he was panicking but there's no way - I don't want to get involved in the case - but you can't just shoot through your door. you can't do that," Jason said.

The Hollands say they learned a valuable lesson about keeping their doors locked - and they're hoping their surprise guest learned one as well. 

"We just want this girl to take it as a lesson and get some help," Jason said. "I don't want her to get into the system. I don't want this to define her life. She made a terrible mistake and I'm sure she'll pay for it, but we don't want to make it any worse." 

That woman is now facing charges of entering an occupied dwelling without permission and obstructing police and set to be arraigned next week.