An accused burglar is dead in an unusual turn of events after a homeowner caught him breaking into his Leroy residence on Friday night, Washington County Sheriff Richard Stringer said.

In an attempt to stop a string of burglaries at his mobile home, Stringer said Nathanial Johnson, 68, of Spurgeon Road set a trap.

Johnson parked his vehicle at a neighbor's place on Friday night, went back to his home and waited.

Sometime before midnight, Johnson told sheriff's deputies he heard someone knock on the front door of his home. When he didn't answer, the person went to the backdoor and broke the lock.

Johnson told police he met the burglar, identified as Cleveland Jones Gully, 31, at the door and chased him outside.

Stringer said Gully, who has a reputation for breaking into houses, then either fell or jumped off the back steps of the mobile home.

That's when Johnson jumped on Gully and tied his hands behind his back, he said.

Stringer said Johnson put duct-tape on Gully's mouth and tied him to a tree. He wrapped Gully to the tree with insulated electrical tape and clothesline, he said.

Johnson told police he then went back to his neighbor's house and called police.

"(Gully) was still alive at that point, and there was no indication that he was dying," Stringer said.

When sheriff's deputies arrived about 10 minutes later, though, Gully was dead, he said.

Stringer said Gully didn't have any visible injuries except for cuts around his body from the wire.

An autopsy will be performed to determine cause of death, he said.

Bystanders told police that Johnson didn't intend to kill Gully. He just wanted to stop him from breaking into his home, Stringer said.

He said Johnson wasn't armed with a firearm.

No criminal charges have yet been filed against Johnson, and Stringer isn't sure if any will be in the future.

"We will probably present it to the grand jury to see what they say about it," Stringer said.