A 17-year-old remained in custody yesterday after an 85-year-old woman caught him breaking into her home in Fayette County, held him at gunpoint and forced him to call 911.

Leda Smith heard the boy break into her home in Springhill about 3 p.m. Sunday. She grabbed a .22-caliber revolver she started keeping by her bed after a neighbor's home was burglarized a few weeks ago.

The handgun was loaded with snakeshot -- a type of hollow projectile packed with loose shot -- but her intruder was not aware of the type of ammunition, state police Trooper Brian Burden said. Ms. Smith ordered the youth to dial 911 and to pass her the phone, then held him at gunpoint until troopers arrived.

Ms. Smith called the incident "exciting," and said she hopes it ends a string of burglaries in the Lake Lynn area, police said.

The boy will be prosecuted in Fayette County juvenile court. He was not identified because of his age.