A few days ago, the Alexander County resident was running errands when she decided to swing back to the house to pick up her cellphone charger. She found it. She also found two young men cleaning out her home.

Suspecting that Stikeleather considered their visit illegal, the men jumped into their car and sped off. Being a good citizen, Stikeleather called the Sheriff's Department. But being badly ticked off, the 119-pound woman also took after the men who seemed to be taking off with her goods.

"I live in deep in a rural area and I knew the deputies wouldn't have a chance to catch them," she told me over the telephone. So to even up the odds, Stikeleather revved up her Jeep Cherokee and chased after the bad guys while phoning in their real-time location to Alexander County dispatchers.

Things got really interesting when the suspects hit Interstate 40. The one time Stikeleather dared to look down at her speedometer, it read 115 mph. But even crooks aren't immune to I-40 congestion. When a wreck slowed traffic to standstill, the alleged burglars attempted to lose Stikeleather by swerving into the emergency lane.

No dice. She relentlessly rode their bumper until she reached the accident site. She slowed down, but only to inform Highway Patrolman R.A. Goodin, who was working the wreck, that the car that had just sped past was transporting stolen goods -- hers.

Trooper Hardin joined the chase. Along with Alexander and Iredell deputies and a couple of police dogs, they finally caught the suspects after the two bolted into the woods.

Given the jeopardy Stikeleather put herself in, I figured the creeps must have made off with diamonds, family heirlooms or North Carolina Education Lottery scratch-off tickets. Nope. Their take was only a PlayStation, a couple of DVD players and a trigger-locked pistol.

That's it. Obviously the value of the property taken wasn't what motivated this 21st century Wonder Woman to risk her life running down losers. "We've worked hard for what we've got," Stikeleather said. "I'm not going to give it up easily."

Although mad, she realized the danger of the chase, so she had come up with a plan. If the men decided to turn the tables and pursue her, Stikeleather was prepared to wreck their car with her vehicle. To steel her nerves during the chase, she recited Bible verses.

People who know Stikeleather aren't surprised she went all out to do what she thought was right. "Robin's a very independent lady," Alexander Sheriff Hayden Bentley told me. "She sticks up for herself and people on that side of the county know she's not about to let anyone run over her."

I asked the sheriff if Stikeleather was cited for speeding. She wasn't. Chief Detective Keith Warren said the department considered the "extenuating circumstances" of the case. He also pointed out the that Sheriff's Department doesn't recommend that citizens chase after criminal suspects. But he conceded that Stikeleather is part of an Alexander County crowd that will do everything they can to ensure justice is served to those who do wrong.

Helping nab the men charged with breaking into her home isn't Stikeleather's first collar. Four years ago, she and her mother got in their car and pinned some burglary suspects against a neighbor's garage until police arrived.

Independent, religious and apparently a pretty good driver, Stikeleather said she isn't letting her luck running down perps go to her head. She's wants out of the chase business.

On Tuesday, a state-of-the-art security system is being installed at her home.

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