Two Citrus County men have been arrested by Citrus County deputies following the Dec. 29, 2011 home invasion of a Lecanto home.

According to the sheriff's office, arrested on Thursday were John Derrick Smith, 42, of 316 N.E. 2nd St., Crystal River, and Dallas Murphy St. Denis, 18, whose address was listed as Northwest U.S. 19 in Crystal River.

Both were taken into custody following investigation into the home invasion robbery at 1160 W. Noble Street in Lecanto. Taken during the robbery were an 1800s-style antique shotgun and $1,800 in cash.

According to the arrest report, the two masked men forced their way into the home at gunpoint at about 10:11 p.m., when a female victim answered a knock on the front door and opened it. The men forced her to the floor, held the gun to her head and demanded money.

One of the masked men went to the male victims's bedroom, a 73-year-old with severe medical issues, where there was a scuffle. The robber emerged without his mask on and his face was now bared.

The male victim later told investigators that when he grabbed his shotgun after he had heard the late-night knock on the door, followed by yelling and screaming. As the victim was exiting the bedroom, one of the masked men met him there and began to wrestle the gun away from him. In the tussle, the victim was able to remove the bandana from the robber's face.

The robber then pushed the man, who fell against the recliner and cut his arm, and the robber took the shotgun and grabbed the victim's wallet, which contained about $1,800, and fled the scene.

Detective work revealed a positive identification of the man whose mask had been pulled off, and a witness who said they knew who committed the home invasion, Who named Smith and St. Denis as those men. Another witness said they had seen the two men shortly after the robbery, and that each had $500 and that they were seen in possession of the shotgun.

Smith and St. Denis was charged with robbery and assault and battery on an elderly person.

Bond was set at none for both men.