DELAWARE COUNTY, Ohio -- A Delaware County homeowner wants a change in state law to protect him and his family from a neighbor who has used their backyard for shooting practice.
Don Pearse of Trenton Township found a bullet lodged into the side of his home Friday as his neighbors took target practice at a dirt mound about 800 feet behind his home.
Two years ago, another bullet from the same neighboring property went through his living-room window.
"I feel like I'm living in Afghanistan or Iraq. When they start shooting, I'm not safe anywhere here or out here working in my yard," Pearse said. "I'm afraid that number (bullet) three will have my name on it, or my wife's name or some of my grandchildren."
The law seems to favor the neighbor in allowing shooting on personal property unless it poses a danger to others.
Delaware County Sheriff Walter Davis said the neighboring homeowner took the necessary safety precautions before Friday's incident. But Pearse said the bullets that have hit his home prove the target shooting is unsafe.
"He has told me voluntarily he's not going to fire any more rounds in the backyard. That to me is very comforting," Davis said.
Pearse said the neighbor made the same promise to stop shooting behind his house two years ago after the first bullet went through the window. He wants to press charges.
Sheriff Davis and the prosecutor's office will wait for ballistics testing before making a determination on criminal charges. A woman at the neighboring home said they did not wish to comment.
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