Ken The Shooter

OCTOBER 28--Angered that two neighborhood teenagers knocked over a John McCain sign on his lawn, an Ohio man allegedly grabbed a rifle and fired three times at the duo as they sought to drive away from his Warren Township home.

Kenneth Rowles, 50, was charged with felonious assault in connection with the Saturday afternoon incident, which resulted in one boy suffering a minor bullet wound.

According to a Warren Township Police Department report, Patrick Wise, 16, yelled, "This is for Obama" as he knocked over the McCain sign. Wise's cousin, Kyree Flowers, 17, was waiting in the passenger seat of the SUV, which was struck by three bullets fired by Rowles. One bullet hit Flowers in the arm, while another shattered the passenger's and driver's side windows.

Rowles, pictured in the above mug shot, claimed in a police interview that he "shot three times attempting to scare the subjects." Shortly after the October 25 confrontation, Rowles called police to complain about two instances in which his McCain signs had been vandalized, but never bothered to mention that he had, minutes earlier, fired at a vehicle carrying Wise and Flowers.

As Officer Daniel Peterson was getting into his squad car to leave, Rowles stopped him to ask about a new Ohio law allowing homeowners to protect their property. "I told him that it would be stupid for someone to get shot or injured over an election sign and he agreed," Peterson wrote in his report, which you'll find here.

Police seized 11 long guns and four pistols from Rowles's home, and recovered two spent .22-caliber shell casings from his driveway. If convicted of the assault charge, Rowles faces up to eight years in prison. (3 pages)