A Middletown man was charged with having weapons under disability after he told officers he fired five or six shots at a skunk in his backyard, according to a report.
James A. Gentry, 44, also was charged with receiving stolen property and discharging a firearm within city limits, the report record. He will have his pretrial hearing Monday in Middletown Municipal Court, according to court documents.
When police responded Feb. 21 to a residence in the 3400 block of Vannest Avenue, they found 18 casings from a .22 caliber handgun scattered in Gentry’s backyard, according to a police report. The gun, a Phoenix Arms, was found to be stolen through Preble County, police said.
When questioned about the gun, Gentry said he didn’t know it was stolen and he borrowed it from a friend. He wanted to shoot a skunk that was harming his cat, he told police.
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