In a time where people everywhere seem to be freaking out the moment any anglers even get a little bit close to their docks, a Missouri man has been arrested after taking things a bit too far.
Enjoying an evening of fishing, a pair of anglers were working a small bay in an effort to pull in some catfish before the sun descended for the day when they were suddenly interrupted. Fishing on Lake of the Ozarks, the anglers stated that a man on shore had begun to harass the pair, belligerently threatening them for fishing a little too close to his dock.
As the man on shore brandished a rifle and went on to threaten the fishermen, they decided it was time to place a 911 call as they felt as though their lives might suddenly be in danger. While threatening to shoot the two men, a shot rang out as one of the men was connecting to the 911 operator, causing the two men in the boat to seek protection beneath the walls of the vessel.
“[We] were fishing in the cove for catfish when a man across the cove started yelling and threatening to shoot us if we got any closer to his dock,” one of the victims told Camden County Sheriff’s deputy David Shoemaker, court documents show. “At one point I looked back over at the house to see a man aiming a gun, located between the house and car. After seeing this, [the other angler] and I both crouched down behind the walls of the boat. Minutes later a shot was fired while [the other angler] was on hold with Camden County.”
As authorities arrived on the scene shortly after 9PM, they found the man, now identified as Levi James Coates, along with a .22 caliber rifle. According to reports, it looked as though Coates was planning on camping outside of the residence and later went on to tell officers that he was only shooting to scare away raccoons.
“[Mr. Coats] claimed that he was shooting to ‘scare away’ raccoons so they would not enter his tent,” Shoemaker’s statement reads. “Mr. Coats was asked why he did not shoot the raccoons instead and he stated he could not see the raccoons.”
Coates was soon booked into the Camden County Jail where he failed a breathalyzer test with flying colors. As a result of his alcohol-fueled idiocy, he is now up against four felony charges, including unlawful use of a weapon, armed criminal action, and two counts of first degree attempted assault.
