It happened just before 6 a.m. in Millersville. That’s when police got a call that there was a burglar in a house.
When officers arrived, they found the burglar with his hands up with the homeowner’s grandson holding him at bay with a handgun.

According to investigators, the 35-year-old burglary suspect, Timothy Gardner, hitchhiked from Old Hickory, Tennessee, to the Millersville home.

Gardner, a man with a long arrest history, reportedly smashed out the glass of the front door to get into the home. Police believe he chose the home at random. The homeowner, a senior citizen, was not home at the time.

“Ultimately it is discovered that he spent the night in the home that was not occupied at the time,” Chief Dustin Carr said.

Later in the morning, the woman’s grandson who lives at another residence on the property, noticed the broken glass and called police.

At the time of the call, the young man didn’t realize that Gardner was inside. Gardner was also reportedly armed with a butcher’s knife he stole from the house.

That’s when police say the grandson, also armed with a gun, held Gardner at bay until police arrived on scene.

“We got there fairly quickly, but he determined the suspect was in the house and he held him at gunpoint until we arrived,” Chief Carr said.

The grandson did not want to speak with News 2, but the young man confirmed to News 2’s Andy Cordan he took a picture of Gardner with his hands up in the few minutes it took police to arrive.

“We want to commend him for his efforts for helping us get him off the streets,” Chief Carr added.

Gardner is charged with aggravated burglary and aggravated assault. He told police he consumed a large amount of meth prior to the break in.

Gardner has a long arrest history that includes manufacturing of methamphetamines.