ARMOUR - An Armour man is facing a disorderly conduct charge, authorities said Thursday, after a hunting incident Oct. 28 near his home.
Norman Pope, 65, was charged with disorderly conduct, a Class 2 misdemeanor, according to Craig Parkhurst, the Douglas County state's attorney.
At 6:20 p.m. Oct. 28, a 911 call came in that a group of hunters shot at Pope's property west of Armour, said Douglas County Sheriff's Deputy Dustin Palmquist.
After the shots were fired, it was reported that Pope confronted the hunters with a gun in his hand. Once authorities arrived, Palmquist said all guns were put away.
Officials said Pope's wife, Judy, asked for the hunters' keys and took them back to their house. The keys were given back to the hunters once the police arrived, Palmquist said.
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No charges were filed against Judy, Parkhurst said.
The group of hunters reported they were out road hunting and hadn't seen a pheasant all day, according to Palmquist. When they finally saw a bird, near the Pope property, 29-year-old Jason Fairchild jumped out of the vehicle and shot at the pheasant. Palmquist said Fairchild missed the bird and as it flew across the road into the other ditch, he shot at it again.
In South Dakota, it is legal to hunt public road rights-of-way for some wild game, including pheasants, with stipulations. However, no person may hunt within 660 feet of occupied dwellings and livestock.
Fairchild was facing the Pope property, according to Palmquist. Fairchild, of Richfield, Minnesota, was given a citation for shooting within 660 feet of an occupied dwelling.
