Bail was denied for a Vicksburg man accused of breaking into a house, holding a minor at gunpoint and molesting her before burglarizing the home.

Warren County Judge Johnny Price ordered Bennet Armstead, 33, 2418 Halls Ferry Road, held without bail as he was charged with six felonies related to the burglary and molestation.

“This was a tragic set of circumstances that put a burglar in the home with two children. It was hard work on the part of the investigators, and certainly credit goes to several alert citizens who were able to provide a very good vehicle description that led to the timely arrest of those responsible,” Warren County Sheriff Martin Pace said.

Armstead is charged with burglary, kidnapping a minor, molesting, armed robbery, grand larceny and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

He is accused of breaking into a home Friday on Ridgelawn Drive where he found the girl inside. He then used a gun he found in the home to force her into a locked room where he molested her, according to the arrest affidavit read in court Wednesday.

Reached by phone, the girl’s stepfather said he came home to discover the house was ransacked and the back door was broken. He found his stepdaughter and called 911.

The Vicksburg Post does not identify victims of sexual assault, and to identify her stepfather would identify her.

“It’s very tough and traumatic right now,” he said.

“This defendant has a pretty extensive criminal history,” District Attorney Ricky Smith said.

In June 2011, Armstead was convicted of two counts of burglary and absconding from supervision and sentenced to 15 years in prison. He was released on parole December 17, 2014, according to Mississippi Department of Corrections records.

“That’s disgraceful,” Price said of Armstead’s early release.

The stepfather said he and his family were upset that Armstead was released so soon after being sentenced to 15 years in prison.

“That makes me furious,” he said.

Armstead, his girlfriend Ebony Lyn Ragan, 26, 812 Polk Street and Donnell Otis Judge, 36, 71 Mingos Road were arrested Friday in connection with the break-in. The victim’s stepfather said he commended the Warren County Sheriff’s Department for quickly catching the suspects.

“It was a job well done. They have been very extraordinarily great in my opinion,” the stepfather said.

A pistol, wedding rings, an X-Box 360, a 55-inch TV, an iPhone and an iPad were reported missing in the burglary.

Almost all the property was recovered in a hotel room rented by Ragan, Warren County Detective Stacy Rollison said during Wednesday’s court hearing.

“A search warrant on the vehicle did turn up a weapon that had been taken,” Rollison said.

Bail for Judge was set at $20,000, and Ragan was held Wednesday without bail because of a hold by the Mississippi Department of Corrections for a probation violation.

A day after the attack on his stepdaughter, the stepfather said, three men approached the home at about 3:30 a.m.

“I had my pistol on me and pointed it at them from the carport,” he said.

After switching from the pistol to an assault rifle, the man held the three men at bay until deputies arrived.

The men told deputies they had turned into the wrong driveway, according to Warren County sheriff’s records. All three were charged with misdemeanor drug violations.

The stepfather said he’s trying to organize a Neighborhood Watch Program near his home.

“Everybody’s on pins and needles out here,” he said.