STAFF REPORT
Body
PLEASANT GROVE – Victor Burnett, 66, faces multiple aggravated assault charges and unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon.
Police said the shooting happened around 7 p.m. last Tuesday, after two teenagers went inside an unoccupied newly built home.
The injured teen ran bleeding to his home on Godfrey Avenue, where relatives called 911.
His 15-year-old friend ran another way and was seen on Ring camera video crossing a porch. Police said the boys had been inside the vacant house when Burnett entered.
According to an arrest warrant affidavit, Burnett told police that “juveniles were constantly breaking into vacant/unoccupied new-built homes.”
The 15-year-old told investigators Burnett entered the home, then the teens heard a gunshot.
The boys jumped out of a bedroom window and ran, the affidavit said.
A witness told police they saw Burnett with a shotgun getting into a green Dodge pickup parked in a grass field.
Also, outside the new build, cameras and a sign states “No Trespassing”, in the middle of construction, are being built by Robbie Hale Homes.
FOX 4 reported that Robbie Hale, the home builder, said Burnett had been contracted for security or mowing, but it was not clear whether he had permission to protect the property.
A witness took a picture of the truck’s license plate before it left.
Police said a Flock camera later flagged the vehicle a few miles away, and officers arrested Burnett on Jim Miller Road.
Police said Burnett had a shotgun and a stolen pistol when he was taken into custody.
Investigators later found damaged windows at the vacant home, including one window marked by police as possible bullet evidence.
The injured teen has remained hospitalized, recovering from a shotgun round.
It’s the latest in a lengthy arrest history for Burnett in Dallas County.
Burnett had been convicted of sexual assault and is not permitted by law to own a firearm.
He served on the Ferris City Council in 2011.
