Don't mess with this guy!

Posted By: BowlingQueen

Don't mess with this guy! - 06/24/15 01:44 PM

Wrestling coach, art instructor teaches intruder a lesson:

Kenosha resident Jerril Grover is a longtime high school wrestling coach and art teacher, described by many as a sweet, polite, little gentleman.

But whatever you do, don’t try to break into his house.

“He is the nicest ‘badass’ you’ll ever meet,” said Bob Saftig, 42, a former Tremper High School wrestler. “He might look like a little guy, but he is anything but that.”

Grover, 51, received plenty of attention on Monday for taking the law into his own hands early Friday morning.

The 5-foot-3, 135-pound Grover was in his basement in the 4100 block of 32nd Avenue, when he heard a noise from a first-floor bedroom about 7:15 a.m. What Grover discovered was a 22-year-old Kenosha man hanging inside the window, informing him he was there to mow the lawn.

“That was a mistake on his part,” Grover said. “I struck him really hard and knocked him out of the window. I then grabbed a vase and clocked him upside the head once I got outside.”

Grover, however, wasn’t finished.

The 1982 Bradford graduate and Kenosha Public High School Sports Hall of Fame member took the man to the ground and “hog-tied” him with a garden hose until Kenosha Police arrived.

Grover said his extensive wrestling background came in handy.

“After I had him on the ground, I didn’t want to apply any more pressure because he had submitted,” Grover said. “I used my hips to keep him on the ground and tucked in a limb occasionally. Once I had him all tied up I stayed on top of him. He told me he couldn’t breathe. I said, ‘If you can talk, you can breathe.’”

A neighbor heard the commotion next door and called the authorities. Kenosha Police arrived at about 7:30 a.m. and took the suspect into custody. Philip Tabili was charged on Monday with burglary, theft and disorderly conduct. He was issued a $1,000 cash bond.

Police said Tabili appeared to be impaired during the attempted robbery.

“I just hope the young man gets some help,” Grover said. “To be doing something like that isn’t smart.”

Grover said he’s surprised by the media attention. He was also plenty embarrassed since he didn’t have time to change before running outside and securing the suspect.

“Mind you, I’m doing all of this in my underwear,” Grover said. “When the police got there, I immediately ran inside and put on some pants. That was the most embarrassing part. My neighbor is out there watching me. After a while I just said forget it. Everyone is just going to have to see me in my underwear.”

Tabili is due back in court for an arraignment on July 1.
Posted By: burkemi

Re: Don't mess with this guy! - 06/24/15 01:49 PM

Good for him!
Posted By: Retired DQ

Re: Don't mess with this guy! - 06/24/15 02:22 PM

Awesome. smile
Posted By: Sunshine Lady

Re: Don't mess with this guy! - 06/24/15 02:27 PM

Good article.
Posted By: noelekal

Re: Don't mess with this guy! - 06/24/15 02:44 PM

There is some gratification in reading of justice properly served up in a good old-fashioned whipping.
Posted By: CompliantOkie

Re: Don't mess with this guy! - 06/24/15 02:53 PM

Awesome! Hope that kid rethinks ever breaking in to another house.
Posted By: Wolfy

Re: Don't mess with this guy! - 06/24/15 03:07 PM

Originally Posted By CompliantOkie
Awesome! Hope that kid rethinks ever breaking in to another house.


Kids are so "smart" these days he will only rob tall people from now on. ^_-
Posted By: edAudit

Re: Don't mess with this guy! - 06/24/15 03:44 PM

22 is a kid?
Posted By: Pale Rider

Re: Don't mess with this guy! - 06/24/15 04:18 PM

Open a can and apply liberally....
Posted By: CompliantOkie

Re: Don't mess with this guy! - 06/24/15 04:35 PM

I mean "kid" in the sense that he is younger than I am. Not at all to excuse his criminal behavior.
Posted By: noelekal

Re: Don't mess with this guy! - 06/24/15 05:10 PM

One thing crooks and terrorists do grasp is "fear of retribution." It's frequently their stock in trade. It is wished that our criminal justice system understood this and used the concept to protect law-abiding Americans.
Posted By: thomasj

Re: Don't mess with this guy! - 06/24/15 06:23 PM

[sarcasm]Hopefully this poor young man was not injured by the excessive force used by this guy. I mean, the homeowner did not need to attack and restrain the intruder. He could have just fled the scene and called 911.[/sarcasm]

This young man is lucky. Had I found him in my home he would have received a special greeting from myself and my friends, Smith & Wesson.
Posted By: DD Regs

Re: Don't mess with this guy! - 06/24/15 07:10 PM

And with no proof of intent to do you harm, you best drag his sorry arse inside. Otherwise you face charges of excessive force from the "victims" family.

Mind you, I am on your side in my preferred treatment for trash like this, but too often the rest of the story isn't told. I will be surprised if the good wrestling coach isn't charged with something later.

For the intruder was not inside his home and had not threatened him.

I hope I am wrong, but will be interesting to see where this goes.
Posted By: thomasj

Re: Don't mess with this guy! - 06/24/15 08:15 PM

As a responsible gun owner, I would never use deadly force unless it were justified; however, I think that the presence of Smith & Wesson would have been sufficient to subdue this budding young criminal without laying a hand on him or, at the very least, persuade him to leave.
Posted By: DD Regs

Re: Don't mess with this guy! - 06/24/15 08:19 PM

that I understand, as well as the shuck of a shot gun to make a would be intruder leave the house. smirk

I used that later method to make a would be burglar leave, boy did he run laugh
Posted By: HappyGilmore

Re: Don't mess with this guy! - 06/24/15 09:01 PM

Originally Posted By DD Regs
]For the intruder was not inside his home and had not threatened him.

I hope I am wrong, but will be interesting to see where this goes.


according to the article:

What Grover discovered was a 22-year-old Kenosha man hanging inside the window, informing him he was there to mow the lawn.

“That was a mistake on his part,” Grover said. “I struck him really hard and knocked him out of the window. I then grabbed a vase and clocked him upside the head once I got outside.”


it would appear he was partially inside the house, and was knocked outside when first struck by the coach. But the clocking upside the head with a vase when outside, yeah, that's another story.

I can recall a case several years ago where the homeowner was arrested for some sort "illegal detention" when the person was caught outside of his house and held, possibly on public property instead of the homeowners property (but the memory is fading). I think the DA ultimately agreed it was stupid to charge him...but then again, in this day when no one is responsible for their own actions, it wouldn't surprise me.
Posted By: Wolfy

Re: Don't mess with this guy! - 06/24/15 09:32 PM

Originally Posted By edAudit
22 is a kid?



Kid Definition

dictionary.search.yahoo.com

n. noun

1. a child or young person
2. used as an informal form of address
3. a young goat

My dad still calls me kiddo. Maybe it is a midwest thing?
Posted By: thomasj

Re: Don't mess with this guy! - 06/25/15 12:12 PM

Thankfully this happened in Wisconsin and not in California or Florida. If that were the case, the homeowner would likely be fired by the school because of his violent actions and forced to go into hiding. The intruder would sue for his emotional injuries and be awarded a multi-million dollar settlement after which he would do interviews on every cable news network and eventually get his own television show.