A woman in Van Zandt County, Texas had an alarming and unexpected visitor in the middle of the night on Tuesday. 37 year old Christopher Ray Foster, described by Sheriffs as having “an extensive criminal history” including a conviction for raping a child, was attempting to break into the woman’s home through a side entrance. His plans were abruptly changed when he discovered that the woman was armed.

Christopher Ray Foster, 37, died at the scene after the unidentified woman shot him at her home near Canton, Texas. She called 911 at around 4:30 a.m.

Foster, who had an extensive criminal history, was recently released on a personal recognizance bond from Van Zandt County jail for failure to register as a sex offender, KLTV reported. Police also believed Foster was the prime suspect in an arson which occurred on Monday.

According to the Texas Department of Public Safety’s sex offender registry, Foster was sentenced to 10 years in prison in 1999 for sexual assault of a child. The female victim was 15.

So Foster – who answered to the nickname “Outlaw” – wound up being DRT. (Dead Right There) The Sheriff was quick to point out that the woman was well within her rights and no charges would be brought against her, but chose what turned out to be a somewhat controversial rationale for defending her actions.

“Presently, as the result of underfunding and inadequate staffing at the Van Zandt County Sheriff’s Office, homeowners need to take appropriate precautions to protect their families,” Sheriff Michael Ray said. “I will continue to support the law abiding citizens of our community when they are forced to take actions to protect their lives, liberty and property.”

The decision to cite underfunding as a reason that citizens should be prepared to defend themselves resulted in calls and visits from some of the locals expressing concerns over their safety. That set up the inevitable scrum between local politicians.

“I want to assure citizens of Van Zandt County that if you dial 911, the sheriff’s department will respond, and there will be a deputy en route,” County Judge Don Kirkpatrick said. “They don’t need to worry that they’re not protected in Van Zandt County.”

The problem is a budget fight, Kirkpatrick said.

“It saddens me that elected officials in Van Zandt County would want to start pointing fingers,” he said. “We do support our law enforcement, and we’re very proud of the job they do.”

The judge seems to be making a solid case. The public budget records indicate that this year’s budget for the Sheriff’s department included a $50K increase over the previous year, the hiring of four new sheriffs and one jailer along with the purchase of 13 new vehicles. Additionally, the staff got a raise. But without knowing exactly how big their territory is and how many calls they answer on average, those numbers don’t really tell us if the funding is everything they need. Still, it would be a shame if the underlying explanation proved to be a distraction from the fact that the sheriff was endorsing the right of homeowners to defend themselves. I’m sure the judge is correct in saying that when citizens call 911 there will be an officer on the way to assist them. But it’s a big county, and how long it may take for that help to arrive will depend on where you are and where the nearest sheriff is when the call comes in. In this woman’s case, the space of a few minutes one way or the other may have been the difference between safety and assault or worse.

The bottom line is, once the dust settles over the budget debate it looks like the homeowner is not only safe, but will not be dragged into court because she defended herself. God bless Texas.