An online sale of a trailer ended with gunshots last Sunday after an illegal alien attacked a military veteran.
Cullman County Sheriff Matt Gentry held a press conference Wednesday where he detailed the incident between the victim, 36-year veteran Glen Gildon, and the suspect, Abel Medardo Sacrab-Chen, 21, of Guatemala.
“I’m pissed off today,” the sheriff said. “I’m pissed off that we’re having to even have this conversation.”
Gentry said Gildon met Sacrab-Chen in Cullman to purchase a trailer that had been advertised online. After Sacrab-Chen told Gildon he didn’t have the trailer with him, the two drove in Gildon’s truck to another location.
“The veteran, our victim, felt that something wasn’t right,” the sheriff said. “...Like a good, law-abiding citizen, he had his firearm with him, which is probably the only thing that saved his life.”
Gentry said Sacrab-Chen pulled a knife on Gildon while en route to the trailer and demanded he hand over all his money. Gildon then pulled out his gun and shot Sacrab-Chen. After a struggle, Gildon was shot three times with his own gun and sustained multiple lacerations, the sheriff said.
“The victim, being a veteran, being tactically aware, shoots the bad guy. Now, this is the interesting thing about the bad guy: he is an illegal alien that crossed the border a couple of years ago, was identified and let go in the U.S. to become a violent criminal in our community," he said. "I don’t know about you, but to me, that pisses me off.”
Gentry said the suspect was in the county for a couple of months after having already been captured and released by U.S. Border Patrol in 2022.
“It is ridiculous that we see leadership today that is allowing criminals to come across our borders to commit crimes on our citizens,” he said.
Cullman County District Attorney Champ Crocker said more charges would be coming for Sacrab-Chen once he is released from the hospital and pending a grand jury hearing.
“Being in the country illegally may get you a free house in California, but it does not entitle you to immunity from prosecution in Cullman County,” Crocker said.
Gentry said Gildon and Sacrab-Chen were both recovering, and Gildon was lucky to be alive “by the grace of God.”
Cullman Daily posted a message from Gildon on its Facebook page, saying, “Hey friends, this is Glenn. My phone is in police custody. Those who don’t know: I was hijacked Sunday evening by a fellow I was supposedly buying a dump trailer from… God has another plan, and I look forward to fulfilling it. Appreciate your prayers. God’s plan of a better testimony wouldn’t have worked if my pistol had continued to function. God’s plan is always better.”
Gentry warned residents to be cautious when contacting others for online purchases and to meet in public places, like the local police office.
“If it looks too good to be true, it probably is,” he said. “At the end of the day, bad guys are going to be bad guys. The only thing that stops a bad guy is a good guy.”
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