Jan 30, 2024 2 min read

A Blaine Township man was shot and subsequently arrested Saturday night after he was accused of forcing his way into a neighbor’s home.

State police charged James Kenneth Milligan, 33, with felonies of burglary and criminal trespassing. According to court documents, at about 10:30 p.m. troopers were called to the 3700 block of Buffalo Creek Road after Milligan had broken through the home’s rear doors.

Court documents state that Bobbi Jo Plants, who was home at the time, shot Milligan in the right thigh. State police determined she was acting in self defense.

Plants told police she heard noise outside and saw Milligan on her rear patio. According to the complaint, Milligan kicked, punched and headbutted the glass storm door until it broke. Police said he then “dove headfirst at the wooden door and knocked out a large oval glass insert in the door, granting him access to the residence.”

After Plants warned him she was armed, he threatened to kill her, court paperwork states. According to the complaint, she aimed downward and fired the weapon, but was not sure she had hit Milligan since he was already covered in blood.

Milligan then began removing his clothes and rummaged through kitchen cabinets, the complaint reads.

Relatives came and took Milligan back to his home, and a family member called 911 to report he had been shot, according to the complaint. Milligan was transported to UPMC Presbyterian Hospital in Pittsburgh for treatment.

Milligan was arraigned Sunday night before District Judge Joshua Kanalis, who denied him bond. Per online court records, Milligan was already out on $5,000 bond for misdemeanor criminal mischief and resisting arrest charges.

Milligan is scheduled to appear for a preliminary hearing at 9:15 a.m. Feb. 5.