St. Petersburg Times, St. Petersburg, FL, 06/17/02

A Darby, Fla., man and his son-in-law fended off three would-be armed robbers. William Newman had been cutting his grass when three men jumped him and tied him to the tractor with bailing wire, according to Pasco County sheriff's officials. The men then entered Newman's house looking for money and valuables. Just as the homeowner managed to break loose from his bindings, one of the robbers saw him and fired a shot, hitting him in the leg. Newman managed to run to a nearby barn that had a phone in it, and he called 9-1-1 and his son-in-law, Martin Harm, who lived a half-mile down the road. While waiting for help to arrive, Newman retrieved a .22-cal. rifle from the barn. When one of his attackers then tried to open the barn door, Newman shot the suspect in the face. Newman's son-in-law soon arrived on the scene and exchanged numerous shots with the robbers, but was still able to get his mother- and father-in-law into his car and drive them back to his house where paramedics transported Newman to the hospital. Sheriff's spokesman Kevin Doll said Newman's injuries did not appear to be life-threatening. Police made one arrest and were still searching for two armed men, both of whom may have sustained injuries in the confrontation.