SOUTH BEND — Nine-year-old Shane Williams Jr. stayed calm and cool in the face of danger.

And because of his quick thinking, he helped put an alleged criminal behind bars.

During the afternoon of April 12 — Spring Break for Shane — the boy was home alone watching TV when he heard banging coming from the back door.

“I went to see what it was, and I could see the back door opening and closing,” Shane said Thursday night. “A guy was kicking the door in.”

Shane grabbed his cell phone, hid under his bed and called police. The boy tried to stay calm as he listened to the burglar, a 25-year-old man, rummaging around the house looking for things to steal.

To listen to the 911 call, click on the links in the Related Content box.

“I told police someone had broken into the house,” the boy said. “Police said, ‘It’s windy, are you sure?’ I said, ‘I’m sure.’

“They told me to be calm and that help was on the way.”

The burglar eventually made his way into Shane’s room. Shane could see the man’s feet as he hid under the bed with the phone to his ear.

Despite the intruder in his room, police said Shane stayed calm and quiet under the bed — never panicking or giving away his presence.

“He reacted better than a lot of adults would have,” said Capt. Phil Trent, the South Bend police spokesman.

Police soon arrived and surrounded the house before taking Shane to safety. A recording of the 911 call with the dispatcher displayed Shane’s reluctance to leave the relative safety of his room to meet police at the door.

To listen to the 911 call, click on the links in the Related Content box.

A K-9 dog was then sent into the home and found the burglar hiding in the basement.

Shane Williams Sr. said the burglar must have watched as he left to go to work, because he received a call from police about 10 minutes after he left.

“I’m proud of him,” Williams said of his son. “I’m glad he didn’t panic and was smart enough to hide under the bed.”

A pretty scary experience?

“Kind of, but not too much,” the younger Shane says with confidence.

Shane’s efforts left a lasting impact with South Bend police officers. Chief Darryl Boykins presented Shane with a community hero award Friday afternoon at the police station for helping capture the burglar.

The suspect, Jerry J. Chambers, Jr., a 25-year-old homeless man, is in the St. Joseph County Jail on $10,000 cash bond. He faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted.

Chambers pleaded guilty to burglary in February in a separate, 2007 incident, according to court records. He was serving a two-year suspended sentence at the time of his arrest.

Chambers also has a 2006 conviction for possession of cocaine and a 2003 conviction for criminal trespassing, according to court records.

Staff writer Pablo Ros contributed to this report.