Two friends were walking outside in Cinebar Sunday when they heard gunshots coming from a nearby property.
Soon after, a bullet hit one of the women in the face.
Deputies responded to the scene and arrested Jerry E. Bowen, 27, who said he’d been shooting at targets in his backyard. The woman was reportedly hospitalized.
On Monday, Bowen made a preliminary appearance in Lewis County Superior Court, charged with one count of third-degree assault, a Class C felony punishable by up to five years in prison.
Judge Joely Yeager released Bowen from custody on a $20,000 unsecured bond and granted an order requiring him to surrender any firearms within his possession. Yeager also granted an anti-harassment no-contact order on behalf of the victim.
Prior to making her ruling, Yeager asked Senior Deputy Prosecutor Scott Jackson if he had any new information on the status of the alleged victim. Jackson said he did not.
According to a probable cause affidavit, the victim was struck in the chin and transported to the hospital following the incident. The affidavit did not specify the extent of her injury.
Defense attorney Rachael Tiller noted Bowen’s lack of felony history and said Bowen had a lot of family members supporting him in the courtroom.
According to the affidavit, deputies responded to the scene at about 2:34 p.m. Sunday. After learning the woman had been struck by a bullet, a deputy spoke with Bowen at the scene.
In an interview, Bowen allegedly “admitted he did not have a good backstop to prevent bullets from traveling beyond his target,” according to the affidavit.
Deputies went with Bowen to his property and saw the targets had no backstop. They found the .22 rifle Bowen was using for his target practice and determined the shooting trajectory coincided with the location where the woman had been shot.
Bowen is scheduled for an arraignment on Oct. 8. He will look to retain private defense counsel.
