Apple Valley Man Accused of Firing Gun Says He Was Dreaming

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 An Apple Valley man landed in jail after blasting six rounds from a 9mm pistol into a darkened street. However, he claims that he fired the gun while in the throes of a vivid dream.

Richard Joseph Carothers, 56, has been charged with reckless discharge of a weapon, a felony punishable by up to two years in prison and a $5,000 fine.

The incident in question occurred Feb. 14. At about 9:36 p.m., officers from the Apple Valley Police Department were called to a residence on the 200 block of Elm Drive to investigate a possible burglary. A man, later identified as Carothers, had called dispatch and reported that his wallet and phone were missing, then said he believed one of his pistols had been stolen, as well.

While the operator was speaking with Carothers, his next door neighbor called dispatch as well, reporting that she and her son had heard four or five loud pops, which she believed we either fireworks or gun fire. Shortly after she heard the sounds, Carothers stepped outside his house nearby and began shouting something about a theft, yelling "call 911." The caller said that he appeared very agitated. 

At about this time, police arrived. As they positioned themselves around Carother's home, he stepped outside and told officers they didn't need to worry because he'd "already cracked off some rounds, man." Officers found six spent shell casings in the snow near the front door.

When asked about the shells, Carothers continued to talk about the purported thefts. After much pressing, Carothers eventually told police that he had been sleeping and believed that some of the events that led to him calling 911 were actually part of a dream.

Carothers recalled that in the dream, he was sleeping on the couch, when his dog became upset and woke him. He looked around and discovered that his wallet had been stolen. Still under the spell of sleep, he went to the bedroom and took a 9mm pistol out of his nightstand, he said. When officers asked if he had fired the pistol while dreaming, and he said he had. Carothers claimed to have shot at an unknown person running from his home.

Police found the pistol wedged behind some blankets and a television inside Carothers' bedroom.

As it turns out, the police had been called to Carothers' home earlier that day. The first official visit was at about 2 p.m., when Carothers called in a complaint about a neighborhood dog. Carothers said the dog was in his yard acting "aggressively" towards him. He allegedly told the officer on scene that afternoon that next time the dog came in his yard he would use his 9mm. The officer told Carothers repeatedly that it was illegal to shoot inside city limits and discussed alternative measures for dealing with problem dogs.

When this fact was brought to his attention, Carothers admitted that he had in fact been shooting at a dog running from his residence, not an intruder.

Carothers has several previous convictions, all of which occurred in Hennepin County. His rap sheet includes driving after cancellation, two counts of fifth degree assault, harassing phone calls and a DUI.