November 23, 2009

Don Wheeler is not taking any chances; he's keeping his 9mm handgun handy. The homeowner along the 3200 block of Rolling Road outside Scottsville in Albemarle County is alarmed by the home invasion robbery that took place on his block Sunday.

Police say three masked and gloved men stormed the home of Wheeler's neighbor and beat and robbed the 52-year-old wheelchair-bound man.

Police say at least one of the men was armed with a handgun.

"It's very serious," said Lt. Todd Hopwood of the Albemarle County Police Department, "When you're threatening somebody's life, when you bring a weapon into play, and you're robbing somebody of money."

Police do not currently have anyone in custody, and are unsure if or why the suspects targeted the home of Wheeler's neighbor.

The victim, whose name has not been released, was robbed of an undisclosed amount of cash and suffered non-life-threatening injuries at the hands of his attackers.