A few would-be burglars learned the hard way not to mess with grandma.

Just as Elaine Stiehl, 78, was about to take her nap, she heard a noise coming from the front of her home, Coweta County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Lt. Col. James Yarbrough said.

Stiehl grabbed her pistol, loaded it and stepped into the hallway to find two men, who allegedly broke into her home, police said.

Yarbrough said the men, Thomas Allen Linder and John Michael O’Neal, saw the gun, ran out of the home and got into an SUV driven by Anne Renee Dearman. The trio sped off, but police later found them heading north on I-85, Yarbrough said. Two guns, one stolen from out of state, power tools and fur coats were found in the car.

Linder, 44, was charged with burglary and possession of a weapon by a convicted felon. O’Neal, 32, was charged with burglary and theft by receiving stolen property. Dearman, 49, was charged with burglary.

The three were taken to the Coweta County jail.

About the Author

Keep Reading

The roof collapse happened at 200 Technology Drive, just outside Alpharetta in Forsyth County, around 1 p.m. Friday.

Credit: Forsyth County Fire Department

Featured

A new poll from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution explored what Georgians thought about the first 100 days in office of President Donald Trump’s second term. Photo illustration by Philip Robibero/AJC

Credit: Philip Robibero/AJC