Bloomfield Township Man Charged For Threatening Landscapers With Gun

A Bloomfield Township man faces criminal charges for allegedly waving a gun at a neighbor's landscapers that got too close to his property. 

James Hurley, 71, was arraigned Wednesday at 48th District Court on a single count of felonious assault and posted 10 percent of a $20,000 personal bond to avoid jail, according to Bloomfield Township Police Department reports. 

Officers arrested him Aug. 26 at his home in the 400 block of Kendry Street after a landscaper fled the neighborhood and called 9-1-1 because of the alleged threat. The victim told police the incident began when he had to drive his truck between Hurley's home and neighbor's to finish the landscaping job shortly after 8 p.m.
 
Hurley believed the men crossed his property line and allegedly told the victim that if he drove onto the property again, he'd be shot. The victim told police he fearing for his safety and told his co-worker to start the truck so they could leave, reports said. He then saw Hurley allegedly point a gun at him and began running while calling 9-1-1.

Officers tried to talk to Hurley at his house, but he initially wouldn't answer the door. They established a perimeter around the house and continued to try and contact him until he emerged. Reports said that Hurley appeared intoxicated, and he did not deny threatening the landscapers, but said he did not have a gun a the time.

Police found several weapons inside the home and forwarded their report to prosecutors, who authorized the charge. Hurley turned himself in on Wednesday. A preliminary hearing is pending.