An Eldred man is facing criminal charges after he allegedly fired a gun during a dispute with another man Monday morning.
Terry R. Kohn, 63, of 639 W. Eldred Road, was arraigned Monday before District Judge William Todd on charges of aggravated assault-attempts to cause or causes serious bodily injury with extreme indifference to the value of human life, a first-degree felony; terroristic threats, a first-degree misdemeanor; simple assault and recklessly endangering another person, second-degree misdemeanors; and summary harassment.
The criminal complaint stated that at 7:12 a.m. Monday, Lewis Run-based state police were dispatched to West Eldred Road, Eldred Township, for a report of a disturbance involving a firearm. According to initial reports provided to police, a neighbor shot toward someone while they were hunting.
A trooper interviewed one of the alleged victims, Michael Eaton, at 7:34 a.m. at the scene. Eaton told the officer that he shot a deer beyond his house on his property that morning. He used a flashlight when trying to locate the deer as he was walking down the hill back toward his house, court records records stated.
Eaton heard the neighbor’s back door open and heard Kohn yell at Eaton to get off his property, then Kohn fired multiple shots toward Eaton, according to the complaint.
Eaton told the officer that he could “hear rounds from the firearm go ‘whizzing’ by him,’” the complaint stated. He took cover behind a large tree.
The officer also interviewed Eaton’s parents, Michael and Pamela Eaton; his mother was in the Eaton residence and his father was hunting behind the residence. Both heard a single gunshot — Eaton hunting — followed a short time later by multiple gunshots — alleged to be by Kohn, court records indicated.
The father said he heard a couple of the shots come near him, the complaint stated. When his mother heard the multiple gunshots, she assumed they were from Kohn and went onto her porch and yelled toward his residence.
When police interviewed Kohn, he told them he saw a neighbor walking through the woods with a flashlight and yelled at him to get off his property. He said he then shot at a target on his property behind his house, according to the complaint.
Kohn is free on $25,000 unsecured bail. A preliminary hearing is set for Monday.
