Washington Township police officers arrested a local man accused of pointing a rifle at three young boys who were outside his residence.
According to authorities, the suspect was inside his house when three boys started to make noise while standing outside. The noise reportedly included one of the boys sneezing.
After hearing the noise, the suspect allegedly grabbed a rifle and stuck it through a window in the house. While pointing the gun at the victims, said police, the suspect shouted at the boys to be quiet.
The victims contacted Washington Township NJ police, which dispatched officers to the scene. Police later conducted a search of the suspect’s residence and allegedly discovered a Ruger .22-caliber rifle. Police officers who searched the home also allegedly found an ammunition magazine capable of being loaded with 25 rounds at once. Neither the weapon nor the ammunition magazine was loaded.
Washington Township police officers arrested the suspect a short time after searching the home.
The suspect, a 44-year-old man who lives in Long Valley, New Jersey, has been charged with multiple crimes, including unlawful possession of a weapon, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
The suspect also faces charges for possession of drug paraphernalia because police officers reportedly discovered drug-related items inside the residence.
After being arrested and processed, the suspect was taken to the Morris County Correctional Facility in Morristown, NJ. He was being held at the jail in lieu of $50,000 bail, with no 10-percent cash option for posting bail.
For more information about this case, view the NJ.com article, “Man Pointed Rifle at Kids for Being Too Loud, Cops Say.”