Man's Ongoing War With Neighborhood Squirrels Led Him To Shoot Child's Window: Reports

EAST GRAND FORKS, MN — A northern Minnesota man is facing prison time after his ongoing “war” with neighborhood squirrels led him to shoot a bullet that struck a child’s bedroom window, according to media reports.

Michael James Powers, 76, of East Grand Forks, was arrested after a Dec. 4 incident that resulted in the discovery of six bullet holes in a house— including the one that went through the child's window — and two in a fence, the Grand Forks Herald reported.

When confronted by police, Powers said it was “war” when he spotted a red squirrel on a bird feeder, and that he had fired out of his bedroom about six times in recent years, including Dec. 4, according to the Herald.

“Well, I told you,” his wife said when she learned of his arrest, the Herald reported.

He was charged with shooting a gun in a municipality, a felony, and recklessly handling a weapon, a misdemeanor, according to the Associated Press, which reported he could spend as long as two years in prison and be fined $5,000.