Home Security Camera Helps Catch Two Men Breaking Into Georgetown County Residence
Two men walked into a Georgetown County home on a Friday afternoon thinking no one was watching.
They were wrong.
What Happened on Highmarket Street
On June 15, 2026, deputies from the Georgetown County Sheriff’s Office responded to a home on Highmarket Street for a burglary already in progress.
When they arrived, they could hear voices inside.
Deputies announced their presence. From somewhere inside, a voice called back: “Who is it?”
They found Jonathan Knowlin, 50, and Matthew Kelly, 53 both Georgetown residents hiding in separate rooms, wearing masks.
Both were taken into custody without a struggle. Jewelry, clothing, purses, wallets, and small housewares were recovered from inside the home.
The Homeowner Was Away – His Camera Wasn’t
The homeowner wasn’t home. He was elsewhere entirely, watching his own house on a live surveillance feed.
He spotted Knowlin and Kelly entering his property in real time, called 911 immediately, and deputies arrived while the men were still inside.
No confrontation. No loss. Just one fast call and a faster arrest.
When asked, the two men claimed they were homeless and believed the house was abandoned. Both were still charged with burglary and misdemeanor failure to appear. Knowlin’s bond was set at $16,200, Kelly’s at $11,087. Full details are available via WMBF News.
Why This Matters
This case isn’t just local news. It’s a real-world example of something most homeowners underuse: remote, live monitoring.
Only 13 to 15% of burglaries in the U.S. result in an arrest, according to SafeHome.org’s analysis of Bureau of Justice Statistics data. Most of the time, the burglar is long gone before anyone even calls 911.
What changed here? The homeowner didn’t wait to come home and discover the damage. He watched it happen and acted immediately.
Situations like this are becoming more common and they don’t always end this cleanly. In a recent case out of Pasadena, a 67-year-old woman walked in on intruders mid-burglary and was physically knocked down before anyone could call for help.
The difference between these two outcomes comes down to one thing: whether you see them before they see you.
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Homes with visible cameras already see a 35% drop in break-ins. And 60% of convicted burglars say they would skip a property altogether if they spotted a security system.
But surveillance only becomes a true arrest tool when the homeowner is actually watching, not just recording.
That’s the gap most people miss.
What to Do If You Ever See This on Your Camera
Don’t rush back home. That’s the single most important thing.
Call 911 first. Stay on the line. Share your camera access with the dispatcher if your system allows it. Save the footage clip before it gets overwritten.
The Georgetown homeowner did all of this right and it worked perfectly. Not every break-in gives you that window.
There are cases where the threat comes from someone far more deliberate, like a Texas firefighter who hired a stranger online to break into a woman’s home, and the only reason she survived was because she fought back herself. Remote monitoring takes that pressure off you entirely.
The mistake most people make is panic-driving back to confront someone. That turns a property crime into something far more dangerous.
Final Thoughts
Two men in masks, hiding in separate rooms, calling out “who is it?” to the deputies already inside.
A homeowner, miles away, made one calm phone call. That’s what put them in handcuffs.
If you don’t have remote access on your cameras yet, this is your sign to set it up. Not next week. Today.
Have a camera setup that has worked for you, or a story where catching something live made all the difference? Drop it in the comments. These real experiences are genuinely useful for other homeowners reading this.
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Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only, based on publicly available law enforcement statements and news reports. Details of this ongoing case may change.
