BENWOOD- If a tree branch falls on your neighbor's property, does it really make a sound?
You bet. In Benwood it's called a 12-gauge shotgun blast.
The thunderous roar that follows a 12-gauge being fired rang throughout Benwood several times Wednesday evening after City Councilman Charles Terry allegedly shot the pickup truck of his neighbor, David Davies, over an apparent property dispute stemming from downed tree branches.
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Charles Terry
Terry, 67, allegedly confessed his crime to West Virginia State Police Cpl. Mike Hogan following his arrest around 5:45 p.m. Wednesday at his Roosevelt Avenue home, according to a criminal complaint filed in Marshall County Magistrate Court. No injuries were reported, but Terry's confession allegedly included information to show his intentions could have turned fatal.
"I'll tell you now I did it and he's lucky it wasn't him," Terry said of Davies in his confession.
Marshall County Magistrate David Buzzard set Terry's bond at $1,500 on a charge of wanton endangerment.
He was taken to the Northern Regional Jail and released on bond Thursday morning.
In defending the bond amount, Buzzard said the shotgun was fired at an inanimate object.
"There's no mention of the weapon being fired at a person," Buzzard said, noting that no one was injured. "That was my reasoning."
Witnesses told Hogan, however, that children were playing nearby the Davies home when the shooting took place.
As part of Terry's bond, Buzzard ruled he is to have no contact with Davies.
Hogan's criminal complaint also included details from the scene, such as how he recovered a Mossberg 500 A 12-gauge shotgun with seven live rounds and one in the chamber.
Benwood Councilman Lawrence "Larry" Ferrera, who has been a member of council since 1992, said he didn't know what the repercussions concerning Terry's position on council will be. Terry has been a council member since 2002.
"I am sure you could lose your job," Ferrera said. "I don't know the rules. If that was me I would resign. It has got to be an embarrassment to him and his family, but what are you going to do? Everyone has a bad day, but you can't go out and shoot things."