A game of “ding-dong-ditch” for four teenagers turned into a terrifying encounter with a Missouri homeowner who now stands accused of robbing and holding the teens at gunpoint after they visited his house.
The group was playing the game in a residential neighborhood in Springfield, Missouri, on Sunday, Jan. 19, when they approached the home of 40-year-old Melvin Rankin, according to a probable cause statement obtained by Centre Daily Times.
The teens rang Rankin’s doorbell once, and then, after seeing Rankin look out his window, they rang it again.
At that point, they heard the garage door open and a gunshot sound from inside the garage. They fled the home and drove away from the area, but Rankin, still armed, pursued the group in his own car.
After the teens reached a dead end, Rankin pulled up next to them, pointed his gun at their car, and ordered them to get out of their vehicle.
While still holding them at gunpoint, authorities stated that he forced them to lie on the ground and questioned them about the reason for their visit.
He reportedly asked them, “Who sent you?” and “Where’s the gun?” according to court documents.
After the kids just told them they were playing “ding-dong-ditch,” Rankin let them leave unharmed but did take the keys to their car.
The next day, officers arrested Rankin during a traffic stop and searched his car, where they found two handguns and a controlled substance.
They also searched his home — finding a 20 gauge shotgun — where Rankin’s partner told police that during the teens’ prank, they heard a knock on the door, and when they checked the Ring camera system, they saw a man wearing a mask who they thought was armed with a gun. When she checked the footage later, she saw the man was wearing gloves.
Rankin was charged with several felonies, including first-degree robbery, two counts of armed criminal action, unlawful use of a weapon, and unlawful possession of a firearm, KLOR reported.
Authorities noted that Rankin is a registered sex offender and was already under permanent GPS monitoring due to a first-degree statutory rape conviction. He was also previously convicted of possession of a controlled substance, breaking and entering, and driving with a revoked license.
He is currently being held in Greene County Jail without bond.
