Rhode Island lawmaker says he knocked out intruder in his home

State Sen. Gordon Rogers, a Foster Republican, says that he fought off an intruder who entered his home on Thursday evening.

"I defended myself, and he was on the losing end of that," Rogers told The Providence Journal on Sunday. "He was in the hospital for at least a couple of days."

The incident took place at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, Rogers said. He had returned from work, taken a quick shower, and gotten dressed before sitting down at his computer to print out some documents on low-and-moderate-income housing that he planned to bring to a Glocester Town Council meeting. When he went upstairs to grab the printouts, he was "startled" to discover an uninvited visitor on the darkened second floor.

Rogers said that the man was someone who he recognized and has known for years, but "was not welcome in, and certainly not welcome upstairs."

"He's got issues," Rogers said. He said that he assumes the man was there to rob the house, and appeared to be "under the influence."

"I’m like, 'What are you doing in my house? You shouldn’t be here, you need to get out of my house,'" Rogers said. "He said 'Let’s go,' and he reached for me and grabbed me by the shirt."

Rogers said that he grabbed the man and hit him twice, knocking him unconscious. He then called the Foster Police, who came and arrested the man, he said.

According to the police report, the perpetrator's speech was slurred, and he yelled a series of obscenities at the officer who handcuffed him. The officer conducted a pat-down and did not locate any stolen items, and Rogers confirmed that nothing appeared to be missing from the house.

The intruder was arrested on a felony charge of breaking and entering and misdemeanor simple assault. On Saturday, after being treated at the hospital, he was released on bail on the condition that he have no contact with Rogers, the police report states.

The police report indicates that the intruder entered through the unlocked back door. Rogers said that his wife had left for the veterinary clinic when he got home from work, so he was alone in the house when the perpetrator entered. He later reviewed his security cameras and saw that the home invader had only been inside for about three to four minutes before he called the police.

"When I’m home, my doors are not locked," Rogers said, noting that he lives in a rural area where his family members are his neighbors. "There’s four generations that live in three houses on a family farm, all within eyeshot of each other. Everybody’s always coming in and out... at 4 o’clock in the afternoon, I get grandkids running across two different hayfields to go see their great-grandmother and their grandparents."

Rogers noted that he has introduced bills every year to strengthen Rhode Island's "castle laws," which govern when the use of force against an intruder can be ruled self-defense.

"Here’s a perfect example why we should have stronger castle laws," he said.

Rogers added that he was eager to clear up any rumors, since the call that went out over the police scanner had been a hot topic of discussion "at 5:30 the next morning at Dunkin' Donuts."

"It came over as an unconscious male, but an assault, so when you have that at a politician's house..."

This story has been updated with details from the Foster Police Department report.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Sen. Gordon Rogers, Foster Republican, says he fought off intruder