A man broke into a neighbor’s home and struck him with a flashlight during a dispute over cats, then pointed a handgun toward an officer, according to charges. Police responded to Harrow Court South in Cottage Grove on Sept. 16.
James Vincent Walsh, 69, is charged in Washington County District Court with first-degree burglary and second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon. The assault count concerns the firearm encounter with an officer; the burglary count alleges Walsh entered the neighbor’s home without permission and assaulted him inside.
A juvenile witness told police Walsh pounded on the front door and complained about a dispute involving the two households’ cats. She closed the door to get an adult, then returned to find Walsh looking into the home, according to the complaint.
Walsh kicked in the door, entered with a flashlight and demanded to know where the neighbor’s cat was, the witness said. She told officers Walsh struck the man in the face with the flashlight as he told Walsh to leave.
The man told police Walsh also spit on him, threatened him and threw several punches, including one that hit his jaw. He said he eventually walked outside to get Walsh to leave, then went back in and locked the door. Walsh kicked it open a second time, according to the complaint.
Officers documented a mark on the door consistent with a shoe strike, a damaged dead bolt and dents in the frame.
When officers went to Walsh’s home on the same block, he went inside before returning to the garage with a handgun behind his leg, the complaint says. He held the gun by its slide rather than its grip and did not immediately comply with orders to show his hands. One officer reported seeing the gun pointed toward another officer.
Walsh eventually lowered his arm, walked toward a corner of the garage and told police the gun was down. Officers arrested him and recovered a 9 mm handgun with a magazine containing 15 rounds from a trash can in the garage. They also found a flashlight in his pocket.
During an interview, Walsh told investigators he had been looking for a cat that escaped. He acknowledged entering the neighbor’s home without an invitation and swinging at the man, but denied making contact. He said he had the handgun because he felt threatened by the neighbor, according to the complaint.
The complaint was issued Sept. 18. The allegations have not been proven in court.
