Allen County Attorney Wade Bowie said Wednesday afternoon he was uncertain what charges might be filed from an incident last Friday in which Zeffrey Tyler Doolittle, 17, Mapleton, suffered shotgun pellet wounds to his back.
Roger Welch, 53, fired two shots after Doolittle allegedly tried to steal gasoline from a storage tank on Welch’s land, about five miles northwest of Bronson. The first shot was into the air and apparently meant to be a warning, officers said, while the second was direct enough that Doolittle was struck as he ran from the scene.
Gasoline had been stolen from the tank earlier, Allen County Undersheriff Bryan Murphy said, which prompted Welch to drain the tank and then be at the place last Thursday night and into Friday morning to see if another attempt were made.
Doolittle, carrying a five-gallon can, had removed a hose attached to the tank when Welch fired the first shot from his 12-gauge shotgun. The teenager ran back toward where he had left his pickup truck on a county road, but didn’t get in it.
Allen County officers found him about 20 minutes later walking along a road. An ambulance took him to Allen County Hospital, where his wounds were determined to be minor.
“I haven’t seen a report” of the incident, Bowie told the Register, but said he was aware of it. “I’ll make a decision on charges after I’ve reviewed the officers’ reports.”
He is unsure when that may occur. He didn’t have reports in hand Wednesday afternoon.
