A man who opened fire on coon hunters has been given a five-year sentence despite his claims he was just shooting to scare off their dogs.
The man, Timothy C. Hollandsworth, 52 was directed to serve 150 days of a five-year sentence and was warned not to possess any firearms. He will be granted a judicial diversion meaning he can have his criminal record erased at the end of his probationary term.
According to the coon hunters’ statement to deputies, there was a group of eight in their hunting party.
“Their dogs had gotten away from them,” explained reporting deputy Jared Jacobs. “They could hear their dogs barking and they were trying to catch up to them.”
Jacobs said the dogs were behind Hollandsworth’s home on Wood Road.
“He came out of his residence yelling and screaming and fired a shotgun two times in the direction of the three victims,” Jacobs said. “They said he threatened to kill them and their dogs.”
Jacobs responded to the call and went to the suspect’s residence to question him. It was at that time he suspected Hollandsworth had been drinking.
“I could smell a strong odor of intoxicant on his person and he was very unsteady on his feet and had slurred speech,” Jacobs revealed.
The deputy went on to find a plastic bag with a green leafy substance believed to be marijuana and additional marijuana in the suspect’s truck.
While admitting he fired the shots, Hollandsworth maintained he didn’t know the hunters were there and was shooting in the air to scare off the dogs.