Hilton Head home invasion thwarted by 11-year-old’s screams. Suspect arrested
A Hilton Head Island man was charged with breaking into a home in the Spanish Wells area early Sunday morning, only dashing out when he awoke the family’s 11-year-old daughter. He was arrested after returning to the house about 10 minutes later.
Joseph Da’Jon Bernard Robinson, 26, was charged Sunday morning with first-degree burglary, a felony punishable by 15 years to life in prison.
Deputies arrived at the home on Spanish Wells Road around 4 a.m. Sunday after the family told dispatchers an armed man was “attempting to kick in” their front door. Police held the suspect at gunpoint until he knelt down and was placed in handcuffs, according to an incident report from the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office.
Robinson refused to speak with police, the report says. A deputy noted the suspect smelled strongly of alcohol.
The family’s 11-year-old daughter told police she was asleep on the living room couch when she heard a noise from the front door, which the family later said had been left unlocked. When she opened her eyes, she saw Robinson “standing in the living room with his hands in his pockets,” the report says.
In shock, the girl watched Robinson walk around the room while “loudly dragging his feet” before he entered the kitchen and looked through the refrigerator. As the suspect turned around, she told police, she saw his hands “coming out of his pocket and grasping an unknown object,” which she later said appeared to be a gun.
The girl screamed, causing Robinson to run out of the house, according to the police report. As her father rushed to the living room, he told police, he saw the suspect leaving out the front door while appearing to hold a firearm in his pocket. The family then locked the front door behind him.
Robinson returned to the home about 10 minutes later, the family said. When he realized the door was locked, he reportedly started “banging” and “pushing” on it. He was arrested when police arrived shortly after.
The family told police they did not know why Robinson would target their house. Deputies did not find a firearm in his possession or within the vicinity of the home.
As of 3 p.m. Monday, Robinson was being held at the Beaufort County jail on a $50,000 cash bond.
This story was originally published May 19, 2025 at 3:38 PM.
