Inset: Paula Kohensky (St. Charles County Corrections). Background: The St. Charles County Department of Corrections (St. Charles County).
A Missouri woman allegedly fired a gun toward her neighbor amid an ongoing dispute over a property line, authorities say.
Paula Kohensky, 60, faces charges of first-degree assault and armed criminal action, according to court records reviewed by Law&Crime. She was released from custody after posting $50,000 bond.
The incident occurred Sunday at Kohensky’s home in St. Charles County, west of St. Louis. According to a probable cause statement, her neighbor was installing metal “T-posts” along his property at the time.
The neighbor said he mistakenly placed one of the posts out of alignment with the rest of the fence. He then used an “electric side grinder” to cut the post off at ground level, the statement says.
Police said Kohensky told investigators that she heard a loud metallic sound near the fence after leaving her home. She also claimed to have seen sparks coming from beneath a tarp, which frightened her.
Kohensky reportedly yelled, “Get away from my fence,” after seeing her neighbor’s shadow. She was holding a firearm and claimed it accidentally “went off,” according to the court document.
The neighbor gave a different account, telling investigators he heard yelling while operating the grinder, followed by someone counting down, “3, 2, 1,” and then a gunshot. He then picked up the post and went to his garage, the probable cause statement says.
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Kohensky’s husband took the gun from her. She also told police that she heard the neighbor say, “Call the sheriff.”
Responding officers interviewed those involved and learned that Kohensky and her neighbor had been engaged in an ongoing dispute.
The scene investigation indicated that the neighbor had been kneeling while cutting the fence post, putting him within what authorities described as the apparent path of the gunfire.
Surveillance footage allegedly showed Kohensky aiming the firearm at a slightly downward angle. Investigators said that angle was consistent with a ballistic defect in the tarp and with the conclusion that the gun had been fired toward the neighbor’s position.
Investigators also reported finding a spent handgun casing directly beside the spot where surveillance footage showed Kohensky standing, according to the charging document.
Kohensky is scheduled to appear in court for a preliminary hearing on Dec. 2.
The post Woman angry with neighbor putting up fence fires shot at him after counting down ‘3, 2, 1’: Police first appeared on Law & Crime.
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