A 75-year-old Village of Liberty Park man was arrested after allegedly threatening a dog walker with a gun.
Robert Emmett Heup is facing a charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon following the incident Tuesday at his home on Eagle Ridge Drive.
A woman told a Sumter County sheriff’s deputy that she and her friends had been walking dogs on the back side of the property near the golf course when they were confronted by Heup holding what appeared to be a firearm. The woman said that Heup pointed the gun at her and asked, “Should I shoot you or your dog first?” The woman then gathered her dogs and left.
Heup denied pointing the gun at the woman. He said he had been showing what type of force to use to protect against coyotes.
Heup was booked at the Sumter County Detention Center and released after posting $2,000 bond.