The Canary saw a burglar; firefighter foiled him
By Bobby Bryant, Editor, editor@newsandpress.net
On Jan. 25, State Farm Insurance and technology company Canary provided Darlington County first responders with 250 home-security cameras that can be monitored remotely from a computer or smartphone.
One of the people who got a Canary device that day was Travis Amerson of Hartsville, a firefighter with the Darlington County Fire District. And a week later, it helped him catch a burglar who was trying to break into his home.
“The Canary made a big difference,” said Amerson, 28.
The incident happened Feb. 1. Amerson said he’d just gotten off work, arrived back at home about 9:15 p.m. and climbed into bed with his wife. One of his dogs started barking.
Amerson said he might have shrugged it off, but he looked at the video from the Canary and saw a man trying to get into the house from the carport.
The man failed to get inside, so he turned to a utility room nearby and started rummaging through some tools, Amerson said.
Amerson said he got a gun, confronted the man and held him at gunpoint for 12 minutes until law enforcement officers arrived.
The man didn’t resist once he saw the gun, Amerson said. He lay down in the front yard and said nothing.
The man was charged with trespassing and second-degree burglary, Amerson said, adding that other charges from other incidents were also pending. The man is a Hartsville resident, Amerson said.
