Interesting outcome.

A farmer in Anderson, Indiana, will not be charged for shooting two juveniles who were "joy riding on golf carts across his property," reported the Chronicle-Tribune.

The farmer, Brent Schalk, had been arrested for battery with a deadly weapon and criminal recklessness for shooting two young men with birdshot after they had entered a farm outbuilding. Schalk felt compelled to use a gun to defend his property because his farm had suffered $10,000 worth of damage from vandals just in the two previous days. Between May and October 14, when Schalk shot the intruders, his property had been vandalized five times.

The prosecuting attorney in the case, Rodney Cummings, said that there is evidence that five juveniles, including the two wounded youths, had damaged Schalk's equipment and that he would be filing charges against them. Bryan Williams, Schalk's attorney, added that Schalk did all that he could do to prevent further vandalism before resorting to arming himself: "He called police, his insurance company and hired a private security firm." Yet Cummings said that if the boys' injuries had been more severe, he would have filed charges against Schalk.

The prosecutor was willing to level serious charges against Schalk for what he deemed egregious behavior even though he had previously acknowledged Schalk's right to protect his property. His willingness to prosecute Schalk is troubling because Cummings knew another underlying truth. He told the Indianapolis Star that one of the injured boys had been arrested six times since March 2004.