Home intruder shot

THORNTON, TX -- A Thornton man shot an intruder who tried to break into his home early Friday morning as he was on the phone with 9-1-1 waiting for sheriff’s deputies to arrive.

Vincent Llanas called the Milam County Sheriff’s Office at 12:32 a.m. Friday, saying a man was trying to open the door to his home on County Road 433, according to a statement from the department.

While Llanas spoke with the dispatcher, the suspected intruder, Joel Warren Simank, 30, of Thornton, broke a window and tried to unlock the front door, according to the statement. Llanas grabbed a .12-gauge shotgun and shot at the door.

Debris from the blast hit Simank in the face and chest, according to the statement. Simank fled the scene in his vehicle, according to the statement.

Simank was later stopped and taken to Johns Community Hospital in Taylor, where he was treated and released to a sheriff’s deputy, according to the statement.

He remained in the Milam County Jail Friday night, charged with burglary of a habitation with intent to commit a felony, according to the statement. Simank’s bail was set at $10,000.

No charges had been filed against Llanas, according to the statement, and the case “will be forwarded to the District Attorney (Kerry Spears) for review.”