A burglar will not become a multi-millionaire after a Portland, Oregon, jury ruled Tuesday in favor of the business owner the burglar sued for shooting him three times.
Kenneth Voyles claimed that he was trying to find food and possibly some items to steal when he broke into Touchstone Granite & Marble in March 2023, only to be confronted by the business owner, James Grant, who was living in the back room, the Portland Oregonian reported. After the initial confrontation in which he threw a cup of urine into the intruder’s face, Grant retrieved a firearm and shot Voyles three times.
Police and prosecutors in Portland did not charge Grant in the incident, while Voyles later plead guilty to burglary of a dwelling. Grant testified he lived in the back room of the countertop fabrication plant to save money.
Voyles was sentenced to five years in the city’s “drug court” process while he served a year in prison on unrelated charges. Voyles later filed suit for $10 million, which the jury rejected, finding that Voyles’ decision to break into the business was a ”substantial factor” contributing to his injuries from the incident.
“Everybody I know, and I’m not just talking about 10 or 20 people, nobody could believe we even got this far. The laws are bad,” the 70-year-old Grant said after the verdict. “It’s just not fair.”
The jury reached its decision after a few hours of deliberation following a seven-day trial in which both Grant and Voyles, 43, testified.
“I said, ‘Get on the ground. Get on the ground. Get on the ground. Get on the ground,” Grant recounted during the trial. “And he looked very agitated. Looked like he was getting ready to attack me. Then I shot three times.”
“I didn’t want to do deadly force,” Grant added.
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