The 70-year-old wife of an Ohio judge said teens who tried to rob her made her so angry that she whacked one in the head with a sauce pan.
Ellen Basinski said she was on the phone with her husband Tuesday when four boys pushed their way into her home in Elyria, west of Cleveland.
Lorain County Judge David Basinski overheard the scuffle and raced home, while his wife grabbed her favorite pan to defend herself against the intruders rifling through her purse and cabinets.
One of the teens told police he threw a bottle of whiskey at Basinski to distract her so another boy could flee. They ran from the house but were later caught and charged with aggravated burglary.
The judge said his wife is upset that police took the pan as evidence.
On hearing the news, Chef Emeril Lagasse said he felt so bad for the woman that he's replacing the item.
Lagasse planned to send Basinski a whole new set of his signature cookware.
