Man going to trial for shooting at helicopter and officer with bow and arrow
ALLEGAN COUNTY, Mich. (NEWSCHANNEL 3) – An action-packed drug sweep is getting new life in court.
It started in the fall of 2009 when a man shot at a West Michigan Enforcement Team helicopter with a bow and arrow.
“I was sitting on the couch and I seen a guy with a rifle coming out from my garden, and two others coming around after a helicopter had been circling my house,” said Barry Crowder, back in 2009. “I kicked the door open and shot at them with a compound bow.”
WMET says he had no reason, but Crowder says he was defending his property from guys with guns who had no business being there.
Now, it's going to trial.
WMET says it was searching the property around Crowder's for marijuana in 2009, not even targeting Crowder, until he fired an arrow at their helicopter.
Now Crowder has been charged with attempted assault on a police officer.
Newschannel 3 went to the Allegan County Courthouse on Wednesday to talk with the prosecutor about the incident, but all he would say is that the facts would come out in the trial.
Barry Crowder is hoping for the same thing.
Newschannel 3 went back to Crowder's house on Wednesday to ask him about the warrant for his arrest that took four months to deliver.
“I figured there wasn't enough evidence to charge me and that they were going to try and hide the fact that there's two arrows missing from my bow,” said Crowder.
In court documents, members of the task force say they don't believe they ever flew before 500 feet during that drug sweep in September of 2009, doing so would have violated a regulation.
Undercover WMET officers told Newschannel 3 in 2009 that they never would have noticed Crowder if he hadn't fired at them in the first place.
“He had a bow and arrow in his hand and he pointed the bow and arrow at the helicopter and fired an arrow that arched up toward the helicopter,” said a WMET officer.
However, Crowder gave Newschannel 3 copies of multiple hand-written statements that say otherwise.
“There are multiple witnesses in the neighborhood that surround my property that seen police jump out of the helicopters from behind me and come up here with firearms,” said Crowder.
Crowder also showed Newschannel 3 the arrow that he says bounced off the helicopter as it hovered outside his home.
Crowder is so adamant about his allegations that he says he'll risk jail time rather than take a plea deal.
“No, I'm going to go to trial,” said Crowder. “I feel that they broke the law coming on private property and pointing guns without a warrant or just cause.”
Crowder has been charged with attempted assault on a police officer, a misdemeanor. He faces a one year sentence if convicted.
The jury trial is scheduled to begin at 8:30 am on Wednesday, March 10th.
You can find Newschannel 3's original coverage of this story here.
