Sword-wielding teen captures suspect
By Greg Jonsson
Published: Friday, Jan. 30 2004

Finds escapee in basement


Joshua Cary wasn't sure what the noise was in his family's basement Thursday
afternoon in Sullivan, but he wasn't taking any chances.

The 14-year-old picked up a sword and went to investigate.

"I'm going to give you until the count of three to come out or I'm going to
stab you," he yelled, according to his mother, Rebecca Cary.

For all Joshua knew, the threat might produce a stray cat trying to keep warm.
Instead, a handcuffed man emerged saying, "I didn't do it."

Joshua took the man upstairs at swordpoint. His mother ran outside
where police were searching for a prisoner who had escaped earlier in the day.
They took the man, Mark A. Brown, back into custody.

"I've been in the business 10 years and this takes it all," said William Sites,
publisher of the local newspaper, who was with police when Cary came outside to
report the handcuffed man in her kitchen.

The sword was part of a collection belonging to Joshua's brother, who enlisted
in the Army in 2001 and is in Fort Riley, Kan., awaiting deployment to Iraq.

"They were basically decorations," Cary said. "But he told Joshua he needed to
take care of his mom and sister, and he did."

The drama began about 1:30 p.m. as Sullivan police and officers from the
Franklin County Sheriff's Department investigated motor vehicle thefts at an
apartment complex. They questioned Brown, and discovered he was wanted by St.
Louis County for a parole violation.

They handcuffed Brown and took him to the police department, but he broke away
from officers and ran.

Officers searched for Brown for nearly two hours. Meanwhile, the Carys heard
noises in the basement. They checked once and found nothing. Joshua checked
again and found Brown. Officers, who were searching an empty house nearby, then
arrested Brown.



Cary said she was proud of her son, who went out Thursday with friends for a
celebratory night at the bowling alley. But she's had all the excitement she
wants.

"He's always been fearless," Cary said of her son. "I hope he grows out of that
soon."

Whew I was expecting this to be a bad scenario where a kid goes psycho and stabs a bunch of people. Quite honestly this is a refreshing change. Kudos to the kid

~Ryan