Sheriff: Antioch man fired shotgun toward fishermen using his private pond

A 76-year-old Antioch man is behind bars in the Lake County jail facing allegations he fired a shotgun near fishermen who were in a boat on his private pond Saturday night.

Theodore Cartner is scheduled to appear in court Monday afternoon facing a charge of reckless discharge of a firearm stemming from the dispute, court records show.

According to the Lake County sheriff’s office, deputies responded to the 43000 block of North Lake Avenue in Antioch shortly after 9 p.m. Saturday regarding a trespassing complaint.

Authorities said the complaint involved fishermen who had accessed Cartner’s pond via a public channel. The address sits near Channel Lake, part of the Chain O Lakes.

An argument ensued between Cartner, who remained on land, and the fishermen, who remained in their boat, and both sides contacted the sheriff’s office. While dispatchers were speaking with the fishermen, a gunshot was heard over the phone, according to sheriff’s police.

The fishermen later told deputies that Cartner fired a shotgun during the argument, with pellets striking the water near their boat. Cartner admitted he shot into the air in an attempt to get the fishermen to leave.

He surrendered the weapon and was arrested on the Class 4 felony charge. If convicted, he faces a maximum one to three years in prison, though probation also would be a sentencing option.