Suspects rob 84-year-old man in Fayette County

Posted: Updated:

By Alexi Alizadeh, Assignment Editor - bio | email

The Fayette County Sheriff's Office is investigating a home invasion robbery in Wriston.

Dispatchers say the call came in just before 8 p.m. on Saturday, December 22, 2012, notifying them of a home invasion on Wolfe Lane, approximately four miles outside Oak Hill.

According to sheriff's deputies, a male subject came to the residence, knocked on the door, telling the homeowner that his vehicle had broken down.

When the homeowner opened the door, the suspect pulled a ski mask over his face and, accompanied by another masked male subject, forced his way into the residence and demanded money.

When the homeowner attempted to defend himself with a handgun, the suspects wrestled the victim to the ground and disarmed him.

The victim was able to hit one of the suspects over the head with a metal flashlight several times during the altercation.

The suspects got away with an undisclosed amount of cash.

The 84-year-old victim suffered minor injuries in the assault, but declined medical attention at the scene.

The suspects are just described as "two white males," as the man stated, "it all happened so fast," that he wasn't able to get a good look at either of them.

No vehicle description was provided.

"This is the second incident of this type in the WV Route 61 area in the past twenty-four hours," said Sheriff Kessler.

"Although the two incidents are similar in some regards, we are unsure at this time if the same perpetrators were involved in both incidents." Sheriff Kessler went on to add, "I would like to caution homeowners- if someone comes to your door who you don't know, particularly after dark, then don't open the door. Immediately call 911 and let the individuals know that you have done so. Unfortunately, it's just not safe anymore to open your door to a stranger asking for assistance."

Anyone with any information concerning this incident is urged to contact the Fayette County 911 Center at (304) 574-1610, the Sheriff's Office Detective Bureau at (304) 574-4305, Crime Stoppers at (304) 255-7867 or you may submit a tip thru the Crime Tips section of the Sheriff's Office website,http://fayettesheriffwv.net/. You may also submit a tip thru the Sheriff's Office page on Facebook.