Man shot during alleged break-in pleads innocent

WARREN — Steve DeFoor, the city man who allegedly broke into the home of an elderly woman and her brother twice on Feb. 18 and got shot the second time, has pleaded innocent to charges of aggravated burglary and burglary.

DeFoor, 49, of Hayes Avenue Southwest, returns to Warren Municipal Court at 1:30 p.m. Thursday for a preliminary hearing on the matter.

But it’s not the only time he’s been there recently.

Warren police charged DeFoor with burglary in June for allegedly breaking into his neighbor’s apartment on Hayes Avenue on June 6, 2008.

He appeared in Trumbull County Common Pleas Court today for a hearing in that case, which started out in Warren Municipal Court.

Kurfward Hutton, 68, told police he was staying with his disabled sister on Wallace Street Southeast Feb. 18, when DeFoor broke into the house at about 8:45 p.m. and demanded money while holding a 12-inch knife. Hutton said he knew DeFoor by name.

Hutton said he fired a pistol at DeFoor but missed, and DeFoor fled. Hutton called police, who investigated the incident but did not locate DeFoor.

At about 10:30 p.m., DeFoor broke in again, Hutton told police.

This time, Hutton fired twice, hitting DeFoor both times, and DeFoor left the residence again, this time badly injured.

DeFoor made it to a home on Wick Street Southeast not far away, went inside uninvited and was later taken by ambulance to Forum Health Trumbull Memorial Hospital, police said.

Read more in Thursday’s Vindicator and Vindy.com