Teenage bandit brandishing fake gun tracked down by Hillside Pantry owner

News Live

Related Photos

Hillside Pantry owner Hiram Burkholder was robbed by a male juvenile about 5 p.m. yesterday. After the suspect fled on foot, Burkholder got into his black minivan and followed the boy, detailing the suspect’s movements to 911 dispatchers, who relayed the information to Pulaski County Sheriff’s Department deputies. Within 15 minutes, the suspect was in custody. Heather Tomlinson photo

February 18, 2012

by Heather Tomlinson Commonwealth Journal The Commonwealth Journal Sat Feb 18, 2012, 10:00 AM EST

Eubank —

Burnetta Burkholder didn’t understand why her husband, Hiram, was handing her the family’s cordless phone and telling her to speak to 911 late on Friday afternoon.

But then she saw his face.

“I knew something had hap-pened,” she said. “He (Hiram) was white as a sheet.”

Hiram told his wife that he’d just been robbed at gunpoint by a young male wearing a gray hoodie while working in the family’s small goods store, Hillside Pantry, located on Etna Road in Eubank.

Hiram was closing up the store, which closes at 5 p.m. on Fridays, when the alleged robber entered the building and thrust a gun toward the store owner.

“He asked for money, and I just kept asking him ‘Are you sure you want to do this?’” Hiram said.

The juvenile repeated his demands, and Hiram did as he was told and gave him all the cash in the register.

Hiram said the juvenile told him not to report the incident and then ran from the store on foot.

The father of seven decided not to let it end there. He rushed up the hillside to the Burkholders’ home after dialing 911 and handed his wife the phone. The entire family was home at the time of the robbery.

Burnetta stayed on the phone with the 911 dispatcher while Hiram climbed into the family’s van and went after the juvenile. As he watched, the male ran down Etna Road and entered into a bordering field, where he caught his breath behind a shed. He then crossed Puncheon Creek Road before entering another pasture. He crossed Buncombe Church Road next.

Hiram was keeping tabs the whole time. Although he’d lose sight of the suspect, the juvenile would reemerge in plain view on the roadway.

“I couldn’t see him back in the fields but when he comes in the road, I’m there,” Hiram said.

Hiram reported this to a 911 dispatcher — the same dispatcher who’d been on the phone with Burnetta — from a cell phone as he trailed the teenager.

Deputies with the Pulaski County Sheriff’s Department responded when the report of an armed robbery went out at around 5 p.m. By around 5:15 p.m., the suspect had been located by deputies, and after a short foot pursuit, he was in handcuffs.

Pulaski County Sheriff Todd Wood confirmed Friday evening that his deputies took a 16-year-old male juvenile into custody just 3/4 of a mile from the Burkholders’ store and home.

“We believe he (the suspect) lived within close proximity,” Wood said.

Once deputies had the juvenile in custody, they located the weapon — which turned out to be a fake gun.

But that doesn’t change the nature of the charges the teenager is facing.

“He will be charged with first-degree robbery,” Wood said.

As of Friday evening, deputies were waiting to transport the suspect to a juvenile detention facility.

Wood said the case’s quick resolution came about thanks to the teamwork on the part of his deputies, 911 dispatchers and Hiram and Burnetta.

“I want to certainly commend the response time from our units, and I also want to commend the owner of the store,” Wood said. “They were very, very helpful for not only calling 911, but also keeping tabs on the subject until our units took him into custody.”

Hiram appeared shaken after the incident and pursuit, but he was unhurt. He said sheriff’s deputies were able to return the money the juvenile took back to him, and he had nothing but praise for the quick response from the deputies.

“It’s just a shame,” Hiram said. “For a 16 year old to do this ...”

His wife, Burnetta, finished his sentence for him.

“It’s a shame for a 16-year-old to have his life ruined for something like this,” she said.

Text Only

News Live

Local man airlifted after two-vehicle crash
May 25, 2012 1 Photo
Mopar Mania to highlight Cruise
May 25, 2012 1 Photo
‘Dry’ forces concerned about wet signs
May 25, 2012 1 Photo
Visitors rave about beauty of Lake Cumberland in May
May 24, 2012 1 Photo
Pulaski’s Memorial Day weekend to be packed
May 24, 2012 1 Photo
Locally-born Rotary leader Pigman dies at 78
May 24, 2012
Technology summit gets underway
May 24, 2012 1 Photo
Local Democrats diss Obama
May 23, 2012
Floyd edges incumbent in city council run-off
May 23, 2012
Pulaski carries Girdler to win

In the weeks leading up to Tuesday’s primary election, it was impossible to miss the colorful signs dotting nearly every Pulaski roadway. The names in the race for the 15th State Senatorial District seat popped out: A.C. Donahue. Chris Girdler. Mark Polston.

Once citizens hit the ballots, however, the results mirrored the dimensions of the signs themselves: Chris Girdler stood the tallest.

Girdler, deputy district director for Congressman Harold “Hal” Rogers, ran away with the votes inside Pulaski County’s borders, earning 3,926 votes for 62.05 percent of the total number cast.

That number more than doubled the next highest vote-getter, businessman Mark Polston, who raked in 1,624 votes for 25.67 percent.

However, Polston — who owns Classic Carpet, a home-flooring business located just off the southern 914 bypass — can claim a moral victory ... three of them, in fact. In all three counties in the district other than Pulaski — those being Adair, Casey, and Russell Counties — Polston actually edged out Girdler.

In Adair, Polston beat Girdler 629 to 394. In Casey County, it was 538 to 417, and in Russell, it was 1,862 to 1,038.

Polston said he just “couldn’t pull it out with the numbers” and that “the machine worked for” Girdler in Pulaski County.

“I think that was their strategy — I think they had a Pulaski County strategy all along,” said Polston. “They played the political game well.”

Polston said the difference between his and Girdler’s campaigns was that “mine was a very, very grass roots campaign,” he said. “I did not have a political machine behind me. I understand how this process works, and in this instance, he prevailed.”

As for why Girdler didn’t take three of four counties, the winning candidate — since there are no Democrats in the race, winning the Republican primary was effectively a final victory for Girdler — said he didn’t have an answer for that.

However, “I believe things happen for a reason and I hope the long and strenuous campaign will only heighten my desire to move beyond the bitterness and partisanship of the recent past,” said Girdler.

“Regionalism is a goal of mine, and I look forward to helping all four counties,” he added, noting that he campaigned heavily in each of them.

Sen. Vernie McGaha, the long-time state senator whose seat the candidates were vying for, actually supported Polston after Liberty’s Todd Hoskins dropped out of the race earlier this month.

Donahue, a local attorney, got 556 votes in Pulaski County, 8.79 percent of the vote. He only received 145 votes in Russell County, 74 in Adair County, and 75 in Casey County, where hometown candidate Hoskins almost matched him with 71 votes despite no longer being officially in the race.

Polston said he’s “still digesting” what happened, and though “the process has been a very good experience for me,” he wouldn’t commit to running again in the future. “I wouldn’t shut the door to anything, but I’m not opening any doors either.”

Still, “I think I got a lot of people involved in the process that had not been involved before and would not have been otherwise,” he said. “A lot of people got out and worked really hard, got motivated to talk to friends and neighbors. I think a lot of people became involved through this campaign that are going to be involved for a long time.”

Girdler stressed his “positive message” and said that Rogers is a “mentor and good friend” that he would turn to for advice in dealing with a frequently combative legislative body in Frankfort, one for which Girdler hopes to help change the culture.

Girdler said that he was “confident and optimistic” during the day Tuesday because he’d “worked extremely hard.” Nevertheless, the realization that he’d won gave him “chill bumps,” he said.

“I’m absolutely honored,” said Girdler. “The position of state senator is more than an honor, more than an office. It’s a charge to keep, and I will give it my all.

“I pledge to be the people’s state senator,” he added. “I look forward to working with everyone to move this region forward.”

May 22, 2012 1 Photo
More News Live Headlines

News Live

Search Results

Related Photos

Teenage bandit brandishing fake gun tracked down by Hillside Pantry owner

Site Map