Armed homeowner fends off possible home invasion

A Gardnerville woman fended off someone who was trying to break into her house early Thursday morning.

According to the Sheriff's Office, the Pin Oak Drive resident was awakened by her dog, who was barking insistently inside her home at 3:20 a.m. The woman said she looked out of the windows, and when she didn't see anything, she armed herself and let the dog out into the backyard.

She said a man approached her quickly in her backyard, but then she pointed her handgun at him and shoved him backward before retreating into her home. She locked the door and called 911. When she returned to the back door, the man began knocking on her rear window.

She yelled that she'd called the Sheriff's Office, and the man ran to the far side of the yard and jumped over the fence.

The man was described as being 6 feet, 2 inches tall, thin with blonde hair. She estimated he was in his late teens or early 20s, wearing black earrings, a dark hooded sweatshirt and dark shorts with yellow writing down the side.

When deputies arrived on the scene, they searched the neighborhood, but did not find the man.

They did find a window screen had been removed from the home's rear window and a fingerprint on the glass.

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call the Douglas County Sheriff's Office Public Information Officer, Sgt Jim Halsey, at 782-9931.

Halsey said it's important that residents checking suspicious activity be careful.

"This incident brings to light the importance of safety and vigilance by residents when checking suspicious activity or noises around a residence at any time of the day or night," he said. "If you have any reservations or misgivings, call 911 and request the sheriff's office respond."