Franklin County Teenager Almost Shoots Baby In Georgia

[Henry]

A Franklin County teenager -- shooting at a squirrel -- almost shot a baby. Police say the teen was trying to shoot the animal out of a tree with a rifle. Instead -- several bullets hit his neighbor's home on Sodom Road in Georgia. The bullets entered a baby's room. And police say -- one of the bullets missed the 11 month old girl -- by just six inches. Her dad was also in the room. Neither was hurt. The teen is charged with reckless endangerment and unlawful mischief.

[Chris Santee]

STATE OF VERMONT
DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY
VERMONT STATE POLICE
    PRESS RELEASE
INCIDENT: Reckless Endangerment
                 Unlawful Mischief
         
CASE #: 10A200508
 
TROOPER:  Lozier                                      STATION: St.Albans                 
CONTACT#: 802-524-5993
 
DATE/TIME: February 5, 2010 at approximately 1315 hours
 
LOCATION (specific): Victim's home:     197 Sodom Road, Georgia, VT
                                Offender's home:  109 Sodom Road, Georgia, VT
 
VIOLATION:  Reckless Endangerment
                    Unlawful Mischief
 
ACCUSED:  15 year old juvenile male                     
AGE: 15
CITY, STATE OF RESIDENCE: 109 Sodom Road, Georgia, VT
 
VICTIM: Michael Popovitch, age 34 and his eleven month old daughter             
CITY, STATE OF RESIDENCE: Georgia, VT
 
SUMMARY OF INCIDENT:
On February 5, 2010 at approximately 1315 hours, the Vermont State Police
(VSP) St. Albans Barracks was notified of a complaint at 197 Sodom Road in
Georgia, VT.  The homeowner, Michael Popovitch, advised that his home had been
shot several times.  Popovitch advised that he had been in his baby's room with
his daughter in her crib at the time of this incident. 

Multiple gunshots landed throughout the bedroom of the Popovitch's eleven
month old daughter.  The baby's crib was against the affected exterior wall and
one of these gunshots entered the baby's room approximately six inches from her
location in the crib.  Fragments of the gunshots were spread throughout the
immediate crib area.  Thankfully, Popovitch and his baby were not injured from
this incident.  VSP was contacted and responding troopers began to investigate
this matter. 

Investigation revealed a 15 year old male, who resides approximately two
hundred yards from the Popovitch's home had been responsible for this incident.
In speaking with the juvenile male, he initially denied involvement, but
subsequently admitted to firing his .22 caliber rifle multiple times in the
direction of the Popovitch's home. 

After several false statements, the juvenile male advised he had been
attempting to shoot a squirrel in a tree between the two homes.  The homes are
approximately two hundred yards apart with a large, unobstructed, direct line of
sight between them. 

The juvenile was cited to appear in court for Reckless Endangerment and
Unlawful Mischief on March 3, 2010.

[special ED]

these are thee kinda things that give hunters a bad name, where were the parents of this kid ?I understand accidents happen but...............

[Loctavious]

EXACTLY sir, exactly.  this is why i don't go out for walks on my road during hunting season and pray to god that the guys that walk up and down goose pond with rifles are sober and responsible.

[Shadylane08]

I can assure you that not all hunters are out in the woods drinking while they hunt, so the sobriety of our hunters is one of the last things I would be worried about in our society

[Loctavious]

The comment was aimed at the ones who give them a bad name. 

And the ones that go to deer camp for things other than resposnbile hunting - which i hear about all the time.

Not to suggest anything - but you didn't address the other part of my comment - which is the hunters walkign up and down on goose pond - there's very few areas that aren't posted and those areas are pretty damn close to houses....... which is what prompted the responsible part of the comment.  might as well address both segments of the comment instead of just one right?  IF you truly wanted to put my mind at ease.

[Shadylane08]

I didn't address your whole comment b/c I didn't really feel it pertained to this topic but I can if you would like.

You saying you don't walk down your road during deer season b/c of fear of the sobriety of the hunters also walking on your road, is like me saying I fear sending my child to a public school b/c of the fear of sexual predators that may work there.  Do I think that there are, I "pray to god" there isn't.

You are very correct that it is unfortunate that the actions of a few irresponsible hunters or non hunters can smear the name of the responsible outdoors men and women.  But heres a few stats for you.  What may be more unfortunate is living in a state that we outdoors people love to live in, but only have access to 8.21% of whats considered "public land".   http://www.nrcm.org/documents/publiclandownership.pdf 
So yes it is unfortunate that hunters are forced into some tight areas where we are allowed to go, does that make us bad people?  I don't think so.

As for the hunters walking down the roads with their rifles, as far as I know they are not breaking any laws and shouldn't be looked as if they are.  It is my understanding in the state of Vermont you can not shoot from a public road way, you have to be 10' of the edge of the roadway before firing your firearm.  But that doesn't mean hunters can't walk on the roads with their rifles, and I'm pretty sure they can be on the roads with their firearms loaded as well.

As for deer camp, I will not deny some people go to deer camp, drink then go hunting the next morning.  But whats the difference between that and having a couple drinks after dinner at home, waking up and driving to work the next day?  I'm sorry for ranting but I'm sick of hearing the typical fat, drunk, irresponsible stereotype that we hunters have.  Maybe next deer season when you see one of us walking down your road maybe try saying hi, and ask if we had any luck, instead of running and barricading yourself in your house.  I think you'll find the majority of us are actually pretty nice, responsible people.

I hope I gave you a little perspective from the other side.

[Loctavious]

Yes you have, albeit heated.  I admit - i don't have a good impression of hunters - am susceptable such as others are when my 1st, 2nd and 3rd impressions have all ben bad due to bad interactions with them ( 3 different instances of them on my land, where it is posted, with guns out ( not holstered ) and within view of my house ( there is a law i beleive stating how far you have to be from residents in order to discharge your gun no?)
      BUT, i'm not an ignorant, non-self reflective human.  Case in point - abotu 5 years ago, on a saturday morning durign hunting season, subsequently a day after the 2rd bad first impression, i'd had a heated conversation with my wife about hunters, generalizing them and all.  Putting aside my views abotu killing for sport, which was my oversimplified view a the time, i was more heated about those few 'bad' apples.
       I left shsortly after this conversation, in which my wife encouraged me a more neutral view considering long standing heritage and traditions, and started out towards Fletcher with my daughter for B-ball practice.  Not noticing the icy road conditions - perhaps too confident in 4-wheel drive, i came aroudn a turn and lost control of my vehicle which went off the right side of the road into a ditch. 
       with no cell phone, i was abotu to walk home to call for help, when someone stopped.  It was a hunter, comign back from a fruitless morning hunt.  within 10 minutes, 5 more hunters stopped.  ALL VERY kind and helpful.  One drove to his house a few miles away and got a tow cable.  As i waited and listened to them ( they all knew each other and were obviosuly locals to the area) i couldn't help but think of the TOTAL IRONY of the situation - i'd just been bashing and generalizing these people for one of their preferred past times.
I couldn't help but think this was God's or Fates or whatever one believes in's way of both scolding me for my discrimination, closed-mindeness, intolerance and refusal to ackowledge another persons way of life and enlightening me to the goodness in them. 
       They all helped push me out - some gettign wet and dirty to do so an di couldn't have felt smaller in my life but VERY appreciative.  Nature's way of helpign me see the other side right there. 
        Thus i do tolerate hunters in general for what they enjoy and not pass judgement now.  It's the idiots who DO give you all a bad name - and those are the ones i can't muster a tolerant view towards - those are the ones i have encountered on my road and intentionally break the posted boundaries. 

      I hope we NOW see each others perspective.

[Shadylane08]

I do see your perspective, and I also share your frustration with those few that do break the laws, and give us all a bad name, b/c in the long run the good ones are the ones standing up for what we like to do, and we have to try and defend them.  Which with most of the unfortunate incidents that do take place it really is quite hard to defend them.

But like I said thanks for sharing your story, and I do agree there are some bad apples, but just remember a couple bad apples doesn't mean the whole tree is bad.

And back on topic, thank god this little toddler wasn't injured in anyway.  And hopefully this kid gets a stern lesson taught