Gayle Huckeby, 75, said he was at his daughter’s house Tuesday when the break-in was happening.
“I came (home) and seen my TV ripped off the wall,” said Huckeby.
Henry County Sheriff Rick McCorkcle said Jake Nicholas, 28, and his girlfriend, Tiffany Roberts, 27, were knocking on doors in the area and asking to use the phone, but when they realized Huckeby wasn’t home, they kicked in the back door and attempted to rob him.
But when they tried to drive away with their loot, their minivan got stuck in the mud.
“God said, I’m gonna put you in that mud hole. You ain’t gonna get away,” said Huckeby.
Nicholas ditched the van in the mud and ran into a neighbor’s pigpen to try to hideout, but police still found him.
“He was covered in hog manure. It was the sweetest poetic justice ever,” said Huckeby’s daughter, Gayla Taylor. “Instant karma.”
Nicholas is charged with burglary. Roberts has pending charges.
“When you do wrong and get caught there’s a price to pay,” said Huckeby. “I don’t hate him. I feel sorry for him.”
Nicholas says he has a drug addiction problem and has been committing crimes for years to fund his addiction.
“I’ve committed crimes in the past because of my drug problem,” said Nicholas.
Nicholas said this time he wants help and he plans to enroll in a drug treatment program while he’s in jail.
“I asked for drug treatment after my last time, and I was stuck in this jail for two years and then just released onto the street,” said Nicholas. “As long as I’m sober, I believe I’ll be a better person.”
