Homeowner who killed intruder won’t be charged

A homeowner who shot and killed an intruder in Jefferson County will not be charged.

The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office says the man was sleeping in his home in a wooded area near the foothills community of Genesee on Friday morning when he heard a dog barking in his yard. The man got out of bed and saw the intruder, identified as 52-year-old Garry Liebreth, crawling through the “doggie door” into the house.

Investigators say the homeowner shot Liebreth in the leg and head during a struggle.

The sheriff’s department says the homeowner, who was not injured, will not be charged because he had the right to defend himself in his home.

Liebreth and the homeowner did not know each other.