Pastor says suspect broke into his home

MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) - A Mobile pastor said he chased a suspect down the road after he said the man broke into his home.

Jeff Krisell is the pastor at Magnolia Springs Baptist Church and lives right next to the building on Old Spanish Trail.

Wednesday afternoon, Krisell said he came home after running a few errands and saw a man in his backyard.

"He came walking from behind the house, and he came through the gate. And he asked if David lived here and I said, ‘No, there's no David that lives here.’ And he just kept going, never even slowed down and kept walking,” said Krisell.

Krisell said he saw a car parked across the street near the church where a woman was trying to get his attention. She was explaining she needed help and had just run out of gas but then jumped in the car and sped off down Old Spanish Trail according to Krisell.

That’s when he said he turned around and saw the suspect on foot run across Theodore Dawes and Kanode Road. At that point Krisell said he became suspicious so he went to check on his home and found his back door was kicked in.

"Reflexes kick in, adrenaline starts and you start acting without putting a lot of thought. You just start reacting to the situation," said Krisell. “I got in the car immediately and went driving down Kanode Road to see if I could find him.”

Krisell said he didn't find the man who broke into his home but he’s thankful he got home when he did and doesn't believe anything was taken from the house.

“You just never expect to get up out of the bed that day and say ‘Well, I bet I'm going to get broken into today.’ It never crosses your mind until it happens,” Krisell said.

He said he is most worried about his wife and daughter’s safety and is taking every precaution to make sure another break-in doesn’t happen.

FOX10 News reached out to Mobile police but has yet to hear back with details about the incident.