Fearless Pastor Thwarts Violent Attack on Elderly Neighbor with Dementia

Houston Pastor Heath Haynes thought a cry for help from his elderly neighbors meant a medical emergency. As it turns out, Pastor Haynes’s actions may very well have prevented a needless death, but for a much different reason.

Haynes’s neighbor, Sharon Koehn, began running down the sidewalk and yelling that a man was attacking her 85-year-old husband, Earl, inside their home. Koehn, who suffers from dementia, lay on the floor with a coat rack over his chest and a man rifling through his pockets, Fox News Digital reported.

As any good Samaritan would, Haynes sprang from his home to help, peeked through the window and saw Earl Koehn in distress. Haynes took out his cell phone to record the incident, thinking the suspect, 54-year-old Shane Jennings, would be deterred from becoming more violent.

In the video, Haynes is heard asking the suspect, “Hey, what are you doing, man? You’re beating that man up.”

Jennings had taken a set of keys to the Koehn’s pickup truck and had other items in hand when he attempted to get into the truck and flee, but began running when Haynes approached him.

Haynes subdued Jennings, who claimed he did not attack the couple, for a few moments and held the man by the collar of his T-shirt. Haynes’ wife, Amber, called the police.

Haynes says his reaction to the situation wasn’t out of the ordinary.

“I started running over [to the neighbor’s home], thinking I’m responding to a medical emergency,” Hayne said. “And then she [Sharon Koehn] starts yelling that [a suspect] is attacking her husband. So, kind of switched gears to, ‘OK, this is not a medical emergency. This is an attack.’

“I’m banging on the door yelling at [the suspect], and he’s acting like he lives there, saying, ‘I’ll be right there,'” Haynes said. “I’m yelling, ‘I can see you.’ And at that point, he stops and goes to the back of the house.”

Still with a pair of keys in his hands, Jennings was able to elude Haynes and make it to the truck. Haynes continued to record the incident as Jennings drove through a fence, side-swiped a house and repeatedly hit another parked vehicle in a driveway. He ran over some trash cans and took off down the road, according to reports.

Jennings did not elude the police, however. Following a short chase, in which he reportedly also hit a police vehicle, he was apprehended.

Police slapped Jennings with six felony charges, including aggravated assault of an elderly person and a peace officer, KRTK reported.

Sharon Koehn believes Haynes’ actions saved their lives.

“If it wasn’t for him, we would probably be dead,” she told local media outlet KTRK.

The Koehns did not suffer any serious injuries, but are still processing the incident.

KRTK reported that the Koehns were most likely targeted by Jennings. Haynes said Jennings first appeared on the Koehns’ doorstop asking for a glass of water and said that he needed to use the bathroom before the attack occurred.

Haynes credited his faith for being able to step in and help protect his neighbors.

“As a Christ follower, or someone who’s experienced the redeeming love of Jesus, He showed me what love looks like, Haynes told KRTK. “[The Bible] says: ‘There is no greater love than this—than the one who lays down their life for his friend.’ Jesus did that for me. He gave his life for me. So, I’ve been show that kind of selfless, sacrificial love.” {eoa}

Shawn A. Akers is the online editor at Charisma Media.