Lakewood man accused for firing rifle at neighbor
OCONTO – A dispute has led to criminal charges after authorities say a Lakewood man fired a rifle at his neighbor.
Mark Verhagen, 57, is charged with first-degree recklessly endangering safety with a dangerous weapon, a felony, and misdemeanor counts of pointing a firearm at another, resisting an officer and disorderly conduct.
According to the criminal complaint, the victim said he was backing into his driveway with a truck and loaded trailer on April 23 when Verhagen yelled at him and confronted him with a rifle, then began shooting at him from about 30 yards away.
The man, who was not hurt, said Verhagen appeared to have been using a .22 caliber rifle.
The complaint did not say how many shots were fired, or if they struck his vehicle, trailer and equipment, though at least two of his truck’s tires were leaking air.
Numerous Oconto County Sheriff's deputies and the office’s armored rescue vehicle were deployed so they could safely contact Verhagen, who was back inside his residence in the 15000 block of Brook Lane, just at the north edge of Lakewood.
He eventually came out of the house and was uncooperative, but was eventually taken into custody, though the complaint did not state when that occurred.
Verhagen received a minor injury that was treated at the scene.
After obtaining a warrant, a .22 file and 30-30 rifle, both loaded with a rounds in the chamber, were found in the home, along with a 12-guage shotgun. Five shells were found next to it; it’s believed a DNR warden emptied it during a sweep of the house to check for other people.
Two boxes containing 139 .22 caliber rounds and 43 shotgun shells also were found.
The man told authorities Verhagen fired one shot when he left around 11:30 a.m. in an attempt to intimidate him.
Verhagen, he added, blamed him for damaging a tree on his property and stealing money from Verhagen’s mail.
The felony charge carries a maximum sentence of 17½ years, plus an additional two years since he was charged as a repeat offender. The misdemeanors all carry a maximum of two years of imprisonment.
RELATED: Gillett man charged with attempted homicide over incident near Oconto Falls
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Contact Kent Tempus at (920) 431-8226 or ktempus@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Lakewood man accused for firing rifle at neighbor
