Roundup.

Bob Buttrum and his wife own and operate the Midway Mart in Bluford, Illinois. Shortly before noon on May 26, a car and its four occupants pulled up to one of the convenience store's gasoline pumps. After filling the tank, the driver dropped the hose, jumped into the vehicle, and sped away without paying the $22 owed.

When Mr. Buttrum called the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office to report the theft, he was told that no squad car was in the area, so Buttrum, along with two of his friends who were in the store at the time, pursued the scofflaw. As described by the May 27 Mt. Vernon Register-News, "Armed with cell phones and, in Buttrum's case, a 9 mm pistol, the three men also sped out of the parking lot...."

One of the friends soon located the fleeing vehicle and managed to block it in. Buttrum and the other buddy then caught up and further hemmed it in. "At that point," Buttrum told the Register-News, "I got out of my vehicle and let the four guys know I did have a gun." He again called the sheriff's office and told them that he would hold the car's occupants "at bay until someone could arrive."

The driver, Larry Mitchell, was arrested and charged with theft of services. His three passengers were not immediately charged.

In the wake of the incident, questions were raised about Buttrum's use of a gun during the pursuit and whether he should be prosecuted for violating the state's gun control statutes. On July 21, Jefferson County State's Attorney Gary Duncan said he had "determined in this case that education would be better than prosecution," and noted that property owners "have a clear right under Illinois law to protect themselves and their property."