EARLY, IOWA -- Authorities are seeking a second man who fled the scene. The woman's three children were not hurt in the incident.

A mother of three in Early shot and killed an intruder Thursday night after two men entered her home and assaulted her, authorities said.

Tracey Roberts was home with her three children, ages 1, 3 and 11, when two men entered the home, according to the Sac County Sheriff's Department. Roberts' husband, Mike Roberts, was reportedly out of town on business.

The two intruders assaulted Roberts before she got away from them and grabbed a gun, authorities said. Roberts fired several times and fatally wounded Dustin Wehde, 20, of Early, according to the sheriff's office. It wasn't clear who owned the gun.

Preliminary results from the state medical examiner show that Wehde died of multiple gunshot wounds.

Second man

The other intruder fled. He was described as 25 to 35 years old, almost 6 feet tall, with a slender build and dark, wavy hair. Sheriff's deputies were looking for him Friday evening.

Roberts was taken to Loring Hospital in Sac City, where she was treated and released. The children were reportedly uninjured.

On Friday, the 649 residents of Early were trying to figure out what happened.

Residents shocked

"I think for a lot of people there's a shock value," said Kenneth Myers, who was elected to the Early City Council in November. "As more people find out who it was, the shock will grow because they're from the town. Most of us, after a day of wondering, are just trying to find out some of the details. I don't think anyone has a clear picture yet."

Myers, a math teacher at Schaller-Crestland High School, said he was Wehde's teacher for several years.

"We didn't always get along," he said. "He wasn't as social as any of the other kids. I never would have expected him to do something like this."

No charges had been filed late Friday.

Woman, mother of three, shoots and kills intruder

Originally ran here as:
"Woman shoots, kills 1 intruder"
Omaha World Herald
December 15, 2001

EARLY, Iowa (AP) - A woman assaulted by two intruders in her Sac County home Thursday shot and killed one, sending the other one fleeing.

Tracey Roberts of Early was at home with her three children, ages 1, 3 and 11, while her husband, Mike, was away on business when two men broke into her house and assaulted her, officials with the Sac County Sheriff's Office said.

Roberts was able to escape, grabbed a gun and shot one of the men, killing him, authorities said. The other man ran away.

Roberts and her children were taken to Loring Hospital in Sac City, where she was treated for her injuries and released. The children were unharmed.

Police have not released the identity of the man who was killed.

Investigators are searching for the other intruder. They describe him as a white man, 5'10" to 6' tall, 25 to 35 years old, slender with dark wavy hair. He was seen wearing a black leather coat.

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