(VitalNews.org) – A pastor from Houston, Texas, has been lauded for stopping an attack on his elderly neighbors. Heath Hayes, who acts as pastor for The Bridge HTX, a Christian group that worships from people’s homes, jumped into action when he heard Sharon Koehn call for help.
Hayes ran over to his neighbor’s house, only to find the door being shut as he reached it. He managed to catch a glimpse inside and saw Earl Koehn, 85, prostrate on the floor with a coat rack on top of his chest, and the suspect Shane Jennings rifling through the man’s pockets.
Hayes said that he began banging on the door and shouting at the intruder to stop and that he could see him. The pastor then followed the suspect and started filming him in the hope that a physical record would help to de-escalate the situation and make him think twice about his actions. Video footage captured by the Good Samaritan shows him telling Jennings, 54, to let go of a set of car keys in his hand, as Hayes tries to prevent him from escaping while his wife called the police.
Jennings, however, decided to make a break for it, getting into a pick-up truck on the driveway and colliding with trash cans, another car, and even the side of the house before managing to take off down the road. He was later captured by the police and arrested and has since been charged with numerous offenses, including aggravated assault of an elderly person.
Sharon Koehn spoke of her gratitude to her neighbor, going so far as to say that she thought she and her husband, who suffers from dementia, might be dead were it not for his actions. Jennings had allegedly come to their door asking for a glass of water and then asked to use the bathroom. The Koehns had not wanted to let the strange man inside their home and had tried to shut the door. Mrs. Koehn stated that Jennings had become angry and barged his way inside, shoving her husband to the ground.
Pastor Heath Hayes attributed his courageous actions to his faith in Christ, explaining that Christ’s sacrifice for others showed him how to put his own life on the line in order to help his neighbors.
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