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Crime

14-Year-Old Boy Protects Mich. Rape Victim With Hunting Knife as Alleged Assailant Batters the Door — and Then Sets the House on Fire

Jan. 21, 2013 12:27pm Erica Ritz

14 Year Old James Persyn Hides Michigan Rape Victim, Guards With Knife as Attacker Sets House on Fire

James Persyn III, 14, holds the knife he had on Wednesday night while posing for a picture with his sister Acelin Persyn, 11, a their Shepherd, Mich. home, Jan. 18, 2013. (Photo: Detroit Free Press/AP)

The Detroit Free Press has one of the most terrifying, unbelievable “home alone” stories to strike rural America.

It is the story of a 14-year-old boy who was keeping an eye on his siblings while his dad ran a quick errand Wednesday night, who ended up guarding a reported rape victim with his hunting knife as an ex-convict battered at the door and threatened to kill them all. The alleged rapist eventually tried to set the house on fire, with the children inside.

James Persyn was watching television in his Shepherd, Michigan home– his 11-year-old sister playing with their 2-year-old brother– when he heard a frantic battering at the door.

“Her voice was, like, she was going to die if I didn’t open that door,” James recalled, so he looked at his sister and they quickly made the decision to let the woman in.

The Detroit Free Press relates:

A senior at Central Michigan University several miles north, the woman was walking to her car in a school parking lot when Eric Ramsey, a 30-year-old ex-convict, approached her with a gun, got into her vehicle, took her to his mother’s house and raped her.

The woman was an alarming sight. She had clear packing tape wrapped around her body. There were bruises on her face. She was cradling one of her arms, which she said was broken after she leaped from the vehicle as Ramsey was driving down South Mission.

She saw the little house with its porch light in the darkness, ran to it and begged to be let inside.

“She’s like, ‘We gotta hide! There’s someone out there who just kidnapped me and he’s trying to kill me,” James said.

The 11-year-old girl peeked out the window and sure enough, saw a vehicle slowly creeping up their long driveway.

This April 11, 2012, photo released by the Michigan Department of Corrections shows Eric L. Ramsey, 30, of Mount Pleasant, who was paroled in July 2012 after being convicted of assaulting a police officer and destruction of property. (Photo: AP)

The Detroit Free Press continues:

James locked the front door and ran to the side door to lock it, too. He herded everyone into the bathroom to hide. The injured woman got in the bathtub and cowered. [His siblings] Acelin and Angus joined her.

James went to his bedroom and grabbed the one weapon he has — a hunting knife. He pulled his Labrador retriever by the collar into the bathroom and closed the door, which has no lock. James turned the lights off, so if Ramsey got inside, he might pass by the bathroom and look for them in another room first.

“Let me in or I’ll kill you,” Ramsey kept shouting.

There they were — a rape victim, a dog too friendly to offer much protection and three frightened children, hiding in the dark, convinced they were about to die at the hands of the man trying to get inside. And the only thing that stood between them and him was a 5-foot-8, 142-pound 14-year-old boy holding a small knife.

The Persyn family residence in Lincoln Township was partially burned in the late hours of Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2013 when ex-convict Eric Ramsey allegedly attempted to set it on fire. (Photo: Detroit Free Press/AP)

The university student quickly called 911 and then the boy called his father, who rushed over forgetting both his jacket and his house keys.

In the meantime, the children were waiting, hearts pounding, as the banging on the door subsided. Had the man gotten inside? Had he left?

In reality, Ramsey was pouring gasoline along the base of the house. He lit a match and drove away.

It was at that moment that the terrified father pulled up, throwing himself on the flames, attempting to extinguish what he could before it got out of control. Knowing it was a losing battle, James Persyn Jr. tried to get in the house, realizing too late that the doors were locked and he didn’t have his keys.

As fate would have it, that’s when the police came, mistaking the father for the criminal.

“I’m the dad! I’m the dad!” he yelled as a police officer ran at him, gun drawn.

Tiffany Ramon, the 28-year-old fiancee of 36-year-old James Persyn Jr., pose for a photo outside of their home by the burnt siding, Jan. 18, 2013, in Shepherd, Mich. (Photo: Detroit Free Press/AP)

Seeing the light of police cars, the kids opened the door to their frantic father and the law. The woman was reunited with her family, but no one knew where Ramsey was. Authorities quickly put out the fire before it could cause irreparable damage.

Police launched an hours-long manhunt for the ex-convict that night, during which time Ramsey reportedly rammed into a police vehicle three times “rendering it inoperable.”

Before he was shot and killed by police, Ramsey posted a status update on Facebook: “Well folkes im about to get shot. Peace.”

Ramsey was released from his prison term after five years in July 2012, according to Michigan Department of Corrections spokesman Russ Marlan. He was convicted on a litany of charges, including intent to cause great bodily harm less than murder charge and assault with a dangerous weapon, but the parole board let him out at the minimum sentence time.

“I’ve been in this community for 35 years,” Central Michigan University Police Chief Bill Yeagley concluded. “I don’t remember anything like this.”

Meanwhile, though 14-year-old James Persyn’s classmates are calling him a “hero,” his father wants to keep young James grounded.

“We never put the word ‘hero’ out there,” James Jr. said. “We just kept saying, ‘We’re proud of you.’”

Fox 17 has more on the unbelievable story:

(H/T: Fark)

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Comments (173)

Not Giving Up
Posted on January 21, 2013 at 5:14pm
I wonder what kind of errand requires you to remove your jacket and keys?

Sounds like dad was making a “social call” rather than an errand while his children were defending the home-front.

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- GrannyLouinAZ
  Posted on January 22, 2013 at 3:15pm
  @NotGivingUp – Of EVERYTHING in this article about everything that happened that night, THIS is what’s keeping you awake at night? I don’t know it matters in the slightest WHAT the dad was doing, just that he wasn’t there, and that should be enough for the average reader.
  
  People are so busy judging everyone else, they miss the entire point of what it is they’re reading. Sad, really…
  
  Report this comment
- Not Giving Up
  Posted on January 23, 2013 at 9:13am
  @GRANNYLOUINAZ
  
  Of EVERYTHING in my post did I mention not being able to sleep at night? Your a bit of a drama queen aren’t you? A bit ironic that you make this statement “People are so busy judging everyone else”. Seems like a long hard look in the mirror might help you understand what hypocrisy truly looks like.
  
  FYI, wondering how the father got home with half is clothes missing and no keys is hardly irrelevant or judgmental. Without the full story, you have no choice but to attempt to fill int he blanks on your own.
  
  I’m not “judging” you, but I wonder if perhaps you are not able to think beyond what you read?
  
  Report this comment
P4cooler
Posted on January 21, 2013 at 5:12pm
James did an outstanding job to save him & his sister! This is proof positive our second amendment must stand. It is infuriating to watch the anti gun fanatics try to take our firearm rights away. If these tyrants like Feinstein, Bloomberg, Cuomo, & Obama don’t like guns…..don’t buy any. Anyway… James is a hero!!!

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NozzleMan03
Posted on January 21, 2013 at 5:05pm
This boy is a hero for saving that young woman.Too bad he did not have a gun in the house and blow this POS away.

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repeal17thamendment
Posted on January 21, 2013 at 4:46pm
Get that boy a pump action 20 gauge shotgun and teach him to grab it BEFORE he opens the door to ANYONE. God helped the boy with what little he had to work with.

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1jdmaster
Posted on January 21, 2013 at 4:38pm
First of all we should all raise our children to be as courageous as this young man, if only we could give up this politically correct way of doing everything and open eyes we’d see that we don’t have enough young people this brave because we don’t teach them to react this way. Second of all we need to stop slapping criminals on the hand and start hanging them at the gallows to prove that a crime is just that. Top that off with live hangings on television and we might scare would be criminals into taking a more productive path in life.

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Elena2010
Posted on January 21, 2013 at 4:32pm
Good riddance to the perp!

Great job kid, keeping your composure and doing everything right.

Great job, cops, for getting there.

Dad — fantastic job of raising your son to have courage when it’s needed most!

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BlackCrow
Posted on January 21, 2013 at 4:19pm
By the time my sons were 14 they were proficient with all but the largest big game rifles. They would have found Thugly on the front lawn with a large hole in him.

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hempstead1944
Posted on January 21, 2013 at 4:12pm
Buy a gun ! Hope all you Democrat Michigan voters like what you have ………lawless thugs, union crooks and ex-cons….what a great place to bring up your family !

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geomann
Posted on January 21, 2013 at 4:03pm
There is nothing like being forced into manhood at age 14. It is terrible that it happened that way, but he passed with flying colors.

I hope the young lady he was protecting is OK.

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Melika
Posted on January 21, 2013 at 3:52pm
Maybe dad can buy a gun and teach his kid how to use it.

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Dr Vel
Posted on January 21, 2013 at 3:23pm
Dad, if you never do another thing, buy your son both an AR-15 and a shotgun, then teach him proper use and safety.

This boy just saved an innocent adult woman, himself, and his siblings.

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MilkmanDan
Posted on January 21, 2013 at 3:10pm
Well done.

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Brem
Posted on January 21, 2013 at 3:01pm
Never leave your kids unarmed

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mont1414r
Posted on January 21, 2013 at 2:49pm
news flash when james returned to school on tuesday he was suspended for having a knife and branding it in a threatening manner.school Principal states we have a 0 tolerance policy on children using weapons in or out of our schools.

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forthepeople
Posted on January 21, 2013 at 2:46pm
Boo – Yah , the perp is dead ! Funny our society will spend more money on defending a perp than the amount spent on a homeless family in need !
Not this time , saved the tax payers hundreds of thousands of dollars , defending , prison / jail ( basically room & board ) …
I think we need some public hanging to make the gray area criminals think twice !

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Glock29
Posted on January 21, 2013 at 2:38pm
The young man was lucky the bad guy did not make it in the house because it would not have ended well. Hope the dad takes them to the range allowing them to take NRA safety courses and allows them access to better defend themselves in the future when left alone.

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denkat56
Posted on January 21, 2013 at 2:32pm
A prior criminal record, who let the repeat offender out. I wonder if the news will investigate. Being white they should. If he was black , sharp ton, Jackson, and the panthers would be there.

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Heismakingmeolder
Posted on January 21, 2013 at 2:24pm
An AR-15 would perhaps be a fitting present for young James’s 15th birthday.

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Lion420
Posted on January 21, 2013 at 2:12pm
I absolutely love stories like this. When you raise your kids the right way, they become great people. Many folks simply would not have opened the door. This kid, put himself and his siblings at risk by doing so. His bravery saved a woman’s life, and got this monster off the street. BRAVO

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FANGS
Posted on January 21, 2013 at 1:42pm
Obama’s America. We can expect this kind of horror on a daily basis and city murder rates to double.. Buy the Boy hero a small 38 spl and put him through hunters safety. He earned a tear from alot of readers. After Obama’s speach today, every gun in my house will be loaded and chambered. There will be enough Propaganda in 2013 against republicans, that it won’t even be a crime to shoot us.

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tkayvegas
Posted on January 21, 2013 at 1:23pm
Quick thinking. Calm decisive action. Hero.

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- Dismayed Veteran
  Posted on January 21, 2013 at 3:13pm
  By having the presence of mind to get everyone into a single room shows good tactical sense. By arming himself, he demonstrated the willingness to give his life to protect his family and a stranger.
  That is a good enough definition of a man.
  
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- Slice_Of_Life
  Posted on January 21, 2013 at 7:53pm
  James is an incredible young man who bravely, and unselfishly, protected his younger sisters and the injured and traumatized young woman. I know his parents, family, loved ones and friends are so very proud of him. Let’s not forget about the deputy who was forced to exterminate the vicious animal. In this situation I think all of us would readily offer to terminate the attacker as this deputy was forced to do in the line of duty. The taking of anothers life, even in this situation, can be very stressful to the deputy, his family and colleagues. Even in a “good shoot”, your every action will still be scrutinized by your agency, the attackers family and especially the liberal media. A Job exceptionally well done by both of you and may God Bless you and watch over you.
  
  Report this comment
woodyee
Posted on January 21, 2013 at 1:20pm
Mil-Dot
Posted on January 21, 2013 at 12:58pm

Notice how fast they released a pic of the perp? Dang the house was still smoking and his mugshot is trotted out. If he was anything other than a snowman, there would be no pics. I bet school children in Istanbul have seen the guys face already.
——————————————————————————————————————————————–

No doubt. Wish they were as thorough when it comes to “incident”s creating hoplophobic hysteria. But the sheriff – did you note how he was crossing all his politically correct “T’s” and dotting all his politically correct “I’s”?

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randy
Posted on January 21, 2013 at 1:14pm
Before he was shot and killed by police, Ramsey posted a status update on Facebook: “Well folkes im about to get shot. Peace.”

Best part of the story!

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Walkabout
Posted on January 21, 2013 at 1:09pm
Did Eric L. Ramsey just happen to have a can of gasoline with him?

Or did he run to a gas station & come back with some?

I think he intended to kill the woman & burn her body. He must have had the gasoline already with him.

What was the police response time? 10 minutes? 15 minutes?

I would only take 30 seconds to get thru that door.

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- hatchetjob
  Posted on January 21, 2013 at 3:18pm
  I hope the perp didn’t impregnate her.
  
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- Walkabout
  Posted on January 21, 2013 at 5:06pm
  Personally, I am for abortion if the mother wants it for rape & incest.
  
  Or she could give it up to adoption. That would be good too.
  
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whatthecrazy
Posted on January 21, 2013 at 12:59pm
Thank God he never made it into the house,that could have changed the outcome in a bad way ,without a gun, period.

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