Elderly homeowner defends life in daylight Columbus home invasion

The Columbus Dispatch reported recently that an elderly homeowner was able to defend his own life when a convicted burglar decided to strike again.

From the article:

The North Side homeowner dialed 911 just after noon yesterday and gave his address. When asked what his emergency was, he replied, “Some ... some guy broke into my house, and I shot him.”

...

Officers arrived to find the homeowner inside and the intruder dead on the porch. The door showed signs of being kicked in. The intruder was pronounced dead at 12:12 p.m. Sgt. Rich Weiner, a Columbus police spokesman, said it appeared to be a case of self-defense.

“Everyone has the right to protect their house,” Weiner said. At the same time, “it’s very tragic. It’s something he’ll have to live with.”

Under Ohio's Castle Doctrine law, if someone unlawfully enters or attempts to enter an occupied home or temporary habitation, or occupied car, citizens have an initial presumption that they may act in self defense, and will not be second-guessed by the State.

Police identified the deceased man as 31-year-old Michael Rinehart. Again, from the article:

Rinehart served four years in prison after being convicted of burglary in 2010. He petitioned for judicial release in 2013, saying his drug addiction had led to his crimes, but it was denied.

Police did not name the man who shot Rinehart, but Franklin County housing records showed that the homeowner is Joseph Miklich, 71.

The Dispatch article goes on to note that this was the second time this month that a homeowner has shot and killed an intruder.

On Feb. 19, a woman on N. Guilford Avenue in Franklinton shot Christopher Lee Willis after he smashed through her front window.

In January, a man who told police he was being carjacked shot David A. Mullins in a Franklinton alley. Mullins died at the scene.

According to the article, last year, of the city’s 89 homicides, five were in self-defense.

Chad D. Baus is the Buckeye Firearms Association Secretary, BFA PAC Vice Chairman, and an NRA-certified firearms instructor. He is the editor of BuckeyeFirearms.org, which received the Outdoor Writers of Ohio 2013 Supporting Member Award for Best Website.