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Pair charged with burglary
Men contend they were out looking to party
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Two burglars, one of whom found himself staring the down the barrel of a shotgun, told lawmen they were just looking for a party with “dope and girls” when they were caught trying to break into a woman’s home.The defendants, Jonathan E. Franzen and Eric Ridge, were both bound to the grand jury by General Sessions Judge Bill Locke following a preliminary hearing on charges of aggravated burglary.Ridge was charged April 22 after he was caught outside the residence he was allegedly trying to burglarize.“I awoke to a banging sound,” testified the resident who was terrified when she realized the banging sound was someone trying to force their way into her home. “I called my neighbor since I didn’t know how close they were to getting in.”It was at that point her neighbor, a 20-year military veteran, grabbed his 12 gauge shotgun and a high-powered flashlight and went next door. He spotlighted him on his neighbor’s porch.“I saw Mr. Ridge with a pair of gloves on,” the neighbor said, noting the suspect tried to run away prompting him to fire a shot in the air.