Drizzt
Member
July 19, 2005
Gunshot aimed at groundhog ends up in boy's bedroom
Resident was angered by critter nibbling on his vegetables
By STAN MADDUX
Tribune Correspondent
STILLWELL -- Fed up with his vegetable garden being nibbled on, a resident grabbed his rifle and fired shots at a hungry groundhog, according to police.
Police say the man's next-door neighbor also ended up under siege when one of the bullets sailed through his son's bedroom window.
The 72-year-old man could now go to jail.
About 2 p.m. Saturday, he spotted the groundhog eating in his vegetable garden in the 100 block of West Glendale, according to LaPorte County police.
He went inside his house, grabbed a rifle and fired the first shots from his back porch.
One of the rounds hit the groundhog and, while the animal was trying to escape, the man ran over to a tree to take aim a second time, police said.
As the groundhog kept running, he fired again.
His neighbor told police bullets were whizzing through the trees and one crashed through the window of his son's bedroom next door in the 100 block of Hupp Road.
He hollered for his neighbor to stop, police said.
The entire afternoon shift at the LaPorte County Sheriff's Office converged on the area, taking cover until it was safe to approach the shooter, police said.
How many shots were fired wasn't disclosed, but police found five empty shell casings on the premises.
The investigation revealed the shots aimed at the groundhog hit the ground and ricocheted into the air.
One of the rounds that flew through the boy's bedroom window hit a wood railing on a top bunk just beneath the mattress.
Police said the report will be presented to prosecutors for a decision on whether to pursue charges.
LaPorte County police Capt. George Ritter said discharging a firearm in unincorporated areas of the county is not against the law.
"Yeah, it's legal but you have to do it safely," Ritter said.
If arrested, the man likely will be charged with criminal recklessness, Ritter said.
http://www.southbendtribune.com/sto...20050719-sbt-MARS-B3-Gunshot_aimed_at_gro.sto
Gunshot aimed at groundhog ends up in boy's bedroom
Resident was angered by critter nibbling on his vegetables
By STAN MADDUX
Tribune Correspondent
STILLWELL -- Fed up with his vegetable garden being nibbled on, a resident grabbed his rifle and fired shots at a hungry groundhog, according to police.
Police say the man's next-door neighbor also ended up under siege when one of the bullets sailed through his son's bedroom window.
The 72-year-old man could now go to jail.
About 2 p.m. Saturday, he spotted the groundhog eating in his vegetable garden in the 100 block of West Glendale, according to LaPorte County police.
He went inside his house, grabbed a rifle and fired the first shots from his back porch.
One of the rounds hit the groundhog and, while the animal was trying to escape, the man ran over to a tree to take aim a second time, police said.
As the groundhog kept running, he fired again.
His neighbor told police bullets were whizzing through the trees and one crashed through the window of his son's bedroom next door in the 100 block of Hupp Road.
He hollered for his neighbor to stop, police said.
The entire afternoon shift at the LaPorte County Sheriff's Office converged on the area, taking cover until it was safe to approach the shooter, police said.
How many shots were fired wasn't disclosed, but police found five empty shell casings on the premises.
The investigation revealed the shots aimed at the groundhog hit the ground and ricocheted into the air.
One of the rounds that flew through the boy's bedroom window hit a wood railing on a top bunk just beneath the mattress.
Police said the report will be presented to prosecutors for a decision on whether to pursue charges.
LaPorte County police Capt. George Ritter said discharging a firearm in unincorporated areas of the county is not against the law.
"Yeah, it's legal but you have to do it safely," Ritter said.
If arrested, the man likely will be charged with criminal recklessness, Ritter said.
http://www.southbendtribune.com/sto...20050719-sbt-MARS-B3-Gunshot_aimed_at_gro.sto
