Three Nappanee men were arrested Thursday on charges related to a May incident during which they allegedly fired multiple rounds at static targets behind a city apartment complex. According to probable cause affidavits filed by the Kosciusko County Prosecutor’s Office, a Nappanee Police Department officer responded to a report of gunshots May 2, 2013, at Stonewall Court Apartments in Nappanee. Upon arrival, the officer spoke with a witness who advised she was walking in front of her apartment when she heard a bullet “whoosh past her head.” The officer stated he observed multiple individuals, including children, outside the apartments when he heard gunfire on the east side of the complex. Following the shots fired, the officer located three individuals who were in possession of a Harrington and Richardson .444 caliber Handi-Rifle. The subjects were identified as Perry W. Yoder, 24, of 5384 W. CR 1350N; John H. Yoder III, 26, of 13941 N. CR 700W; and Mervin Dale Miller, 20, of 70801 CR 1, all of Nappanee. The subjects admitted they had each shot five to eight rounds of ammunition at a target 25 yards away and proceeded to fire approximately 60 rounds of ammunition at a target 100 yards away with the apartment complex directly behind both targets. The officer observed there was no backstop or other material to contain the fired rounds. The officer later spoke to other witnesses who advised they had heard the gunshots and heard something “zip past them” and strike surfaces. One witness provided the officer a slug she had found in her porch flowerpot and also advised there was a dent in her front door from the fired rounds. All subjects were arrested Thursday in connection with the incident and held in the Kosciusko County Jail on a $2,000 bond.
