A Bethel Township homeowner confronted two masked men who forced their way into a home on Scarff Road Thursday morning, firing at least one shot at the suspects and their car as they fled. The Miami County Sheriff's Office said it does not believe either suspect was struck by gunfire.
Deputies responded to the 7000 block of Scarff Road around 8:47 a.m. Thursday after the homeowner reported the break-in, according to WHIO. A separate report from WDTN places the break-in at approximately 8:50 a.m., a small discrepancy in the timeline that has not been resolved. Either way, the sequence described by investigators is the same: two masked men broke in, the homeowner confronted them, and shots were fired as the pair ran.
A home surveillance camera captured the suspects forcing their way inside, per the same WHIO report. The men were seen wearing black hoodies or jackets and black pants, according to K99.1FM, which carried the same wire report distributed to area outlets. As the suspects ran, the homeowner fired at them and at their getaway car, a shiny black four-door sedan, the outlet reported.
Investigators Lean on Flock Cameras and Surveillance Footage
Detectives are now working to identify both the suspects and their vehicle using Flock camera technology, according to WDTN's report on the incident. The sheriff's office has not said whether either man has been taken into custody. Dayton 24/7 Now reported that deputies plan to increase patrols in the area following the incident.
Deputies asked anyone with information about the attempted burglary to contact Detective Bonnie McMaken at (937) 440-3987 or [email protected], per WHIO. The call for tips came alongside confirmation from the sheriff's office that it is actively investigating the break-in and the gunfire that followed.
Scarff Road Case Echoes Earlier Bethel Township Property Crimes
Thursday's break-in is not the first time Bethel Township has drawn attention from Miami County investigators chasing property crime leads. The sheriff's office previously sought help locating two individuals wanted for thefts and break-ins of storage units in the township, according to Miami Valley Today. Authorities said those earlier suspects were believed to be connected to multiple thefts and storage-unit break-ins across Miami County and surrounding jurisdictions, though that case is separate from Thursday's residential burglary.
Statewide, Ohio's property crime rate — covering larceny-theft, burglary and motor vehicle theft — fell by 11.2% in 2024, outpacing the national decline of 9.0%, according to the Ohio Legislative Service Commission. Thursday's incident in Bethel Township unfolded against that broader backdrop of declining property crime figures.
What Ohio Law Says About Defending a Home
Under Ohio law, a homeowner's use of force inside their own residence can trigger specific legal protections during prosecution. Section 2901.05 of the Ohio Revised Code states that when evidence at trial supports a claim that a person used force in self-defense, defense of another or defense of their residence, prosecutors must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the force was not used for one of those purposes, according to the Ohio Revised Code. That statute does not determine whether this particular shooting meets the legal threshold for self-defense, and no charging decisions in the Scarff Road case have been reported.
The investigation remains open as detectives work to identify the two masked suspects and the sedan they used to flee. For now, deputies are relying on surveillance footage, Flock camera data and tips from the public as they try to track down the men before any further incidents in the area.
