TOWN OF LAKEWOOD, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – An Oconto County man is charged after he allegedly shot at his neighbor.
Mark Verhagen, 57, of Lakewood, is facing multiple charges including first degree recklessly endangering safety, use of a dangerous weapon, disorderly conduct and resisting an officer.
Police say they were called to the Lakewood Fire Department around 4:30 p.m. Saturday for a report of a shooting.
According to the criminal complaint, the victim told deputies he was backing into his driveway with a midsized tractor loaded onto the back of a flatbed trailer, when Verhagen confronted him with a rifle and began shooting at him from about 30 yards away. The victim said this was unprovoked and suddenly occurred immediately after he returned home.
The victim said Verhagen pointed a rifle at him and he was afraid Verhagen would kill him, so he drove away and met deputies at the fire department.
The victim was not hurt in the incident.
According to the criminal complaint, the responding deputy saw the driver front and driver rear tires of the victim’s truck were going flat and the tires on the trailer were flat.
That’s when deputies tried to call Verhagen. When he didn’t answer, an armored rescue vehicle was called to his house.
Authorities were able to make contact with Verhagen who came out of the residence but failed to follow orders.
Deputies were able to place Verhagen under arrest. He received a minor injury and was treated by rescue personnel on scene. A sweep of the home found no one else was inside. Three long guns and ammunition were observed in plain view during this time, the complaint reads.
A search warrant was executed at the home and investigators found multiple guns.
In an additional interview with the victim, he told investigators that he saw Verhagen in his front yard just before leaving that day and he heard a shot fired from Verhagen’s property which the victim believed was fired to intimidate him, the complaint says. The victim also stated he previously found bullet holes in a truck parked in his back yard and the shed in his back yard, which he believed Verhagen was responsible for. The victim also said Verhagen blamed him for damaging a tree on his property as well as stealing money from the mail from Verhagen.
The criminal complaint did not include a statement from Verhagen.
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