by From staff reports

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Undeterred by a punch to the face, a 70-year-old Fayette County woman greeted a late night intruder in her home with several rounds from her .38-caliber revolver, authorities said.

Deputies were dispatched to a potential burglary just before 2 a.m. Thursday at a home in Dothan.

While driving to the scene, deputies were told the homeowner called 911 and reported someone breaking into her home. She told dispatchers the intruder fled after she shot at him, according to a statement by the sheriff's office.

She told deputies her burglar alarm woke her just after 2 a.m., and she grabbed her gun and went to look for the cause of the alarm.

As she approached the back door, she was startled by a suspect who then punched her in the face. She opened fire and the suspect turned and fled.

The victim, whose name has not been released, was not able to see the intruder well enough to provide a description.

Deputies determined the suspect cut open a screen in the back door and then broke a window in the door to force it open. The breaking glass apparently triggered the alarm.

Deputies tried to track the suspect with a police dog but were unsuccessful.

Officers do not believe the intruder was struck with a bullet.

The woman suffered a minor injury to her head but declined medical treatment.

"If the victim of this burglary had been unarmed she could have been seriously injured or killed when confronted by this burglar," Sheriff Steve Kessler said in the release.

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