A 42-year-old Pequot Lakes man is facing felony charges after he allegedly stormed out of a detached garage with a rifle, fired shots, and threatened to shoot out the tire of a side-by-side that three juveniles had been driving around his property while honking the horn. James Allen Rivet was arrested at the scene and transported to Crow Wing County on the charges, which include three counts of second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon and one count of threats of violence.
According to mn crime, Pequot Lakes police were called to the scene at about 6:07 p.m. on October 4. The three juveniles told investigators they had been driving a side-by-side around the property and honking its horn when Rivet emerged from a detached garage holding what they described as a brown-and-black rifle. He reportedly told them to stop and called one of them names before, per the complaint, firing the rifle into the woods near the residence.
Threat Over a Side-by-Side's Tire
Rivet allegedly threatened to shoot out the tire of the juveniles' side-by-side, reportedly telling them, “Yeah, I will, and I'll shoot that tire.” The complaint states he later admitted to threatening to blow out the tire with the gun if necessary, though he denied ever threatening to shoot the juveniles themselves. The teens told authorities that Rivet never actually pointed the gun at them, even as the confrontation left them frightened.
A family member told police the juveniles were upset and said Rivet had come out of the garage with a gun. Accounts of exactly how many rounds Rivet fired differ in the complaint summarized by the outlet's report: the family member said Rivet admitted firing twice to get the juveniles' attention because they were honking, while Rivet told police he fired a couple of rounds in the opposite direction to get their attention, and elsewhere told police he fired three times into the woods, away from where the juveniles were standing. The complaint also describes Rivet characterizing the firearm as an AK-style rifle.
Charges Filed in Crow Wing County
The criminal complaint against Rivet was filed in Crow Wing County District Court on October 6. He faces three counts of second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon, plus a single count of threats of violence. Minnesota's second-degree assault statute, cited in a 2021 excerpt from the Minnesota Revisor of Statutes, details possible penalties: under subdivision 1, up to seven years’ imprisonment, a fine of up to $14,000, or both; subdivision 2 lists higher penalties when substantial bodily harm is inflicted.
The case remains in its early stages, and the record reviewed does not indicate how the charges have since been resolved. What is documented is the sequence that put Rivet in handcuffs that evening: a honking side-by-side, a man emerging from a garage with a rifle, shots fired into the woods, and three juveniles who told police they were scared, even though they said the gun was never pointed directly at them.
