Kingsport, TN (KETK) – A woman in Tennessee said, “Not today,” when a robbery suspect broke into her home over the weekend.
On Saturday, around 9:00 p.m., Kingsport Police Department officers responded to 3927 Bond Drive in reference to reports of a home invasion that apparently went horribly wrong for the suspect.
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Police say the resident of the home, a 52-year-old woman standing 4’11”, answered a knock at her door to find a woman holding a flyer about a lost dog. As soon as she opened the door, a masked man stepped into the doorway, grabbed her arm, and attempted to pull her outside. When this initial assault proved unsuccessful, the masked man pushed the resident back inside the home and shouted, “This is a robbery!”
A struggle ensued, during which time the victim was able to partially remove the mask from the suspect’s face. In doing so, she immediately recognized the man as Joe M. Sotello, a longtime family friend. She also noticed what appeared to be a handgun tucked in Sotello’s waistband. The victim grabbed a baseball bat from behind the door and fought back in clearly justifiable self-defense.
Two teenage, female witnesses were in the residence at the time and joined in defending the homeowner. Together, police say the three women physically pushed Sotello out of the house and onto the front lawn. The woman who had been holding the flyer (later determined to be Sotello’s girlfriend) ran to the car. Sotello attempted to get into the car with her; however, he could not escape the three women who continued to get the better of him.
Sotello’s girlfriend left the scene in the vehicle, while Sotello was eventually able to escape and run away. While still on scene, officers received new information that Sotello had surfaced at the residence of one of the victim’s relatives, located in the 200 block of Archdale Drive. Another fight erupted there, with the relative ultimately detaining Sotello until police arrival.
After initially declining medical treatment, police say Sotello was arrested for aggravated robbery and aggravated burglary and booked into the Kingsport City Jail.
After giving several false statements regarding the incident and his whereabouts, Sotello eventually confessed to his crime, stating that he “had been going through some hard times.” His girlfriend came to the Justice Center on her own volition and confessed that her limited involvement in this incident had been done out of fear of Sotello and that she had no idea what he actually had planned to do. At this time she has not been charged.
Sotello has since been transferred to the Sullivan County Jail in Blountville where he remains confined, pending arraignment, in lieu of a $35,000 bond as specified by the presiding magistrate.
Police say the victim, despite being at a clear physical disadvantage, successfully defended herself and her home from Sotello’s unprovoked attack.