Gastonia Police Catch A Lying Burglar

In Gastonia, police say they used high-tech equipment to catch a lying thief.

It all started when 57 year old Cedric Ford called 9-1-1 from a gas station to say that he had been wounded in a drive-by shooting.

But as it turns out — that was a lie.

Cops began to suspect that Ford wasn’t telling the truth, after talking to him and his girlfriend. Officers quickly figured out that Ford had not been shot from a passing car by using data from gunshot detectors that are installed all around the city. The “shot spotters”, as they are sometimes called, zeroed-in on a house, as the actual location of the gunfire.

So investigators went to the home where they found doorbell camera footage that told the real story. The video clearly shows that Ford actually tried to break into the house. But he was shot in the chest by the homeowner, an elderly man who is also disabled.

After the shooting, Ford ran back to his car and drove to a QT convenience store and that’s where he called police.

Ford and his girlfriend are now facing several charges. 

The homeowner who fired the shot, Donald Bolynn, told WBTV that he bought a gun for protection and at the time of the shootng, he wasn’t even sure he hit Ford.  Bolynn will not be charged.

Police say the gunshot detectors certainly paid off in this case. Using sophisticated microphones, they can usually pinpoint the location of a gunshot within about 100 feet.