A Baraboo man police say shot a hole in his floor after seeing an alien while stoned on marijuana sat jailed Tuesday awaiting the next step in his case.
Jonathan D. Popple, 26, appeared in Sauk County Circuit Court on Monday via video conference link from the Sauk County Law Enforcement Center lockup. He was facing felony counts of possession of pot with intent to deliver and possessing a gun while intoxicated stemming from an incident Saturday afternoon, according to court documents.
About 2:30 p.m. police were called to a house on Ninth Street after someone reported hearing a gunshot inside, according to the criminal complaint.
Officers spoke to Popple, who said he had been smoking pot since getting up that day and was cleaning his gun in his bedroom. He said he initially thought the weapons safety was on.
Popple told police he had the sense he was standing on a rock and looked down to see an alien he had seen in a movie, according to the complaint. Popple then tried to shoot the alien: The gun went off and a bullet went through the floor into the basement, the complaint states.
Popple told the officers his brother was in the basement when he fired the gun, and he went into the basement to make sure the brother was unhurt.
The officers report Popple said he had more pot in his room, that he owed money for it and if officers took it he wouldnt be able to pay what he owed. The officers found an electronic scale, a cigarette roller and four quarter-ounce packages of marijuana in Popples room, according to the complaint.
An officer reported testing one of the packages of green material believed to be pot and detecting THC, the active ingredient in marijuana.
During Mondays court appearance the judge informed Popple of the charges against him and set a $250 cash bond for his release. He ordered Popple to remain absolutely sober and prohibited him from possessing firearms.
Popple has a criminal history going back to 2003, including pot possession, carrying a concealed weapon, resisting or obstructing police, endangering someone with a weapon and disorderly conduct, according to Wisconsins online courts database.
The judge scheduled a preliminary hearing for Sept. 10. Popple continues to be held at the county jail, according to jail staff.