Grand Coulee man arrested after firing rifle toward boat on Rufus Woods Lake

GRAND COULEE — A Grand Coulee man was arrested Jan. 18 after deputies say he fired a rifle toward a boat on Rufus Woods Lake following a report of gunfire on the water.

According to the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, deputies were dispatched at about 8:14 p.m. to a report of a weapons violation in the 1000 block of Strahl Canyon Road after a caller reported that shots had been fired from the shoreline toward a boat on the lake.

Deputies contacted the occupants of the boat, who told officers they had been fishing and were carrying a firearm for predator control. They said the firearm had been accidentally bumped inside the boat and, because of that, one of the occupants discharged it in what they described as a safe direction to verify its accuracy.

Shortly afterward, the group reported being fired upon from shore. None of the occupants of the boat were injured.

During the investigation, deputies learned that a nearby property owner had fired a hunting rifle toward the boat after being alerted by a neighbor that people on the boat had fired a weapon.

Deputies later contacted the suspect, identified as Shawn W. Robison, 41, of Grand Coulee. According to the sheriff’s office, Robison admitted to firing his rifle at the boat in an attempt to scare the occupants away.

Robison was arrested on five counts of assault in the first degree and was transported to the Chelan County Regional Justice Center.

Andrew Simpson: 509-433-7626 or andrew@ward.media