Christopher Reber

Christopher Reber, 23, was arrested last Wednesday on those charges after his release from St. Mary’s Medical Center in West Palm Beach, Martin County Sheriff’s spokeswoman Rhonda Irons said.

Reber was shot when he broke into Joe Russo and Linda Schultz’s house the morning of April 16, sheriff’s investigators say.

That morning Reber entered the home in the 1500 block of Southwest Crossing Circle after shooting into a sliding glass door, then headed to an upstairs bedroom where Schultz was waiting with a handgun, according to sheriff’s reports.

Schultz told deputies she shot at Reber three times, striking him in the torso.

Reber then fled in his mother’s black Ford Contour and drove to her condo in the 1200 block of Southeast Parkview Place.

The mother told detectives her son took a shower and asked her to take him to the Suburban Lodge Extended Stay Hotel on U.S. 1 in Stuart.
(more…)

PALM CITY – The other two times that someone broke into the house on Crossing Circle, nobody was home.

But Thursday was different. Linda Schultz was there, and so was her handgun.

Schultz called 911 shortly before 9 a.m. to report that a man had broken into her home in the 1500 block of Southwest Crossing Circle. She told them she thought she shot him, Martin County Sheriff’s officials said.

Christopher Reber

When Lake Village resident Linda Smyth rushed over to her neighbor after hearing gunshots, Schultz was bleeding from the neck, dialing 911.

“I’m proud of her,” Smyth said hours later. “I think it takes a lot of wherewithal to be able to be aware of your circumstances and fight back like that. A lot of people would be afraid to defend themselves.”

Schultz, 47, was transported to St. Mary’s Medical Center for her injuries. So was robbery suspect Christopher B. Reber, 23, who was in serious condition, sheriff’s spokeswoman Rhonda Irons said.

Charges against Reber are pending, Irons said. In the meantime, he is under custody on a St. Lucie County warrant regarding a forgery case.

(more…)