PORTAGE, Mich. — The homeowner arrested for murder after a struggle with a man who was trying to break into his car will not be facing charges at this time.
Kalamazoo County Prospector Jeff Getting temporarily denied the charging petition of Portage Public Safety, which requested the 54-year-old face a charge of open murder.
Officers put the homeowner under arrest hours after a struggle between him and a person he believed was trying to break into a vehicle parked in his driveway turned deadly.
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UPDATE: Homeowner arrested after car break-in leads to deadly confrontation
It started around 3 a.m. on Wednesday, September 30 on Cedarcrest Avenue, when the homeowner said he heard the sound of the attempted break-in and saw his motion-activated lights turn on. The 54-year-old went out of his house to confront the person, according to the Portage Department of Public Safety.
The two began to struggle, with the suspect reportedly pulling out a knife, said investigators. The struggle ended with the homeowner stabbing the suspect, said police.
The suspect, later identified as 51-year-old Roy James Jr., died from his injury at the scene.
Detectives interviewed the homeowner and later arrested him. The decision to take him into custody sparked a number of questions from neighbors about why police would do so.
In a statement published before the prosecutor's decision on Thursday, Public Safety Director Matt Wolfe said his officers were simply handling their part of the legal process.
"Our investigators concluded there was probable cause that the homeowner had caused the death of the individual," said Wolfe.
The investigation into the situation remains on-going, said the director.
