OGDEN -- James Linford is about 15 years older than the person he found in his house when he arrived home Tuesday morning, but that didn't stop Linford from giving the intruder what he had coming to him.
The 68-year-old gave the man a good beating when he found him in his home at 11 a.m. on the 600 block of Harrison Boulevard.
"If I had gotten to the gun, I would have killed him," Linford said. "You would have been reading the obituary."
Linford said he'd planned what he might do if he ever found someone stealing from him. But his idea of how the scenario would play out was hampered by not being able to get to his firearm, which may have been in the intruder's bag at the time.
"I carry a concealed weapons permit, but I didn't have my gun with me," he said.
So Linford started fighting with the man, who police have identified as Victor Melenderez, Jr., 54, of Ogden.
The fight moved to the kitchen, were Linford grabbed a butcher knife and continued out the door into his yard with Melenderez. A neighbor saw the struggle and Linford asked him to call police.
"It took police 20 minutes to get there," Linford said. "I held this guy at knifepoint until the cops got there.
"I had the chance. I guess I'm not really a killer."
But Linford said Melenderez tried to kill him three or four times during the struggle by grabbing a block of wood as a weapon.
That just caused Linford to fight harder.
"I whooped the hell out of him," Linford said.
It's something the home- owner encourages others in his situation to do, because he's frustrated with the justice system.
"This guy had three or four warrants out for his arrest," Linford said. "He had a court date a week ago for this same thing that he didn't show up for."
And Linford speculated that with the ability to bail out of jail, the man is probably already walking the streets somewhere.
Ogden Duty Lt. Tony Fox verified Linford's story of the fight and the arrest, giving a similar account.
Fox said he was glad to see that Melenderez was held for police to arrest on felony counts of aggravated burglary, theft of a firearm and theft and possession of a firearm by a restricted person.
"Melenderez brought a bag with him which he filled with property, which included a firearm," Fox said.
Comments