Dad grabs shovel from intruder and defends family during break-in, deputies say
It started with “someone furiously ringing” the doorbell and ended with that visitor getting knocked to the ground with a shovel before he was arrested, according to a Facebook post from the homeowner that was confirmed by police.
On the morning of Nov. 21, Joey and Beth Archer woke up to someone at the door, according to the post from their joint account.
“As I flew out of bed, I ran through who it could be as we have a big gate that somebody couldn’t get through, and as I came to the door, there was somebody I didn’t recognize,” Joey Archer wrote.
He yelled through the door that the man needed to go out the gate before he would speak with him as Beth Archer checked the surveillance cameras, according to the post. That’s when Beth Archer realized someone “had slipped her car into gear” and rolled it into some trees on the property, Acting Lt. Cameron Simper, a spokesman for the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office, told McClatchy News in a phone interview.
The video also showed the man trying to pry into Joey Archer’s car with a shovel, the post said.
“I quickly called the police and got dressed,” he wrote in the post. “I don’t own a gun ... so we waited and [watched] for six minutes while he continued to damage our vehicles. My mind raced as I stayed on the line with dispatch ... until I saw him start to approach our front door.”
Beth Archer woke their daughters and sent them out a window to run “barefoot in their PJs down to the barn,” which had also been broken into, according to Simper. The suspect started banging the shovel against the glass on the front door and destroyed it, the post said.
“I was able to grab [the shovel] out of his hand and hit him with it,” Joey Archerwrote.
Simper said the incident report indicated the altercation took place through the door. When a deputy arrived, Joey Archer was standing over the man with the shovel to detain the suspect, according to Simper.
The deputy then arrested the suspect, Simper said. The incident report said the man reportedly was under the influence of alcohol and benzodiazepines, according to Simper.
The suspect is accused of stealing a pack of cigarettes and causing about $5,000 to $6,000 worth of damage to the Archers’ property, according to Simper. Darrell Frost was arrested on charges of malicious mischief, attempted residential burglary, residential burglary, criminal trespass and vehicle prowling, and he has already posted bail, Simper said.
“I’m posting this video because it shows everything that happened, but also because I get teased a lot for the surveillance state we have at our property,” Joey Archer wrote. “I enjoy technology and in this case it served (its) purpose in recording everything that occurred.”
The Facebook post from the Archers’ account included a link to a Go Fund Me page created to help “offset the damage incurred during the reckless rampage,” it says.
This story was originally published November 25, 2020 at 5:05 PM with the headline "Dad grabs shovel from intruder and defends family during break-in, deputies say."