Shell Point neighbors watch out for each other — with firearms if necessary

A Shell Point man was watching his neighbor’s back — or rather his Walnut Street house — Saturday night.

A man and his brother noticed two strangers go into the backyard of the house across the street around 8:30 p.m., according to a Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office report. The men knew that the person who owns the house was not there, so one call 911 while the other drew a handgun.

The armed brother told deputies he heard a window break and ordered a the man and a woman to get on the ground outside of the home, according to the report. That’s how deputies found them when they arrived.

Both suspects denied breaking the window or trying to break into the home, according to the report. They told deputies that they were looking for a place to stay for the night after they had run out of money staying in a hotel. Both suspects were released when the homeowner could not be reached by telephone.

This story was originally published June 11, 2017 at 8:17 PM with the headline "Shell Point neighbors watch out for each other — with firearms if necessary."