Police: Man charged after firing gun at homes

EAU CLAIRE — A Bloomer man was charged Tuesday in connection with a July incident in which authorities say he fired a rifle at two houses.

Brandon Flanary, 28, faces two counts of first degree recklessly endangering safety and one count of operating a firearm while intoxicated. Tuesday’s initial appearance saw the court set a $10,000 signature bond for his release. A settlement conference is scheduled for September 9.

According to the criminal complaint, law enforcement responded to Union at 11 p.m. July 14 after a caller to 911 reported gunshots. While one officer was driving around town and listening for shots, he saw a car stop at an intersection for 10-15 seconds.

After that extended pause, the driver accelerated quickly through the intersection. The officer followed and, when the driver allowed the car to veer into the lane for oncoming traffic, stopped the vehicle.

The officer called for backup when the driver pulled to a stop and reached toward the glove box. When the officer approached the car there was a rifle in a case on the passenger’s seat. The gun was removed from the vehicle, and that’s when the officer saw multiple empty and unopened beer cans inside. There were also 42 spent shell casings in the car.

Flanary smelled of alcohol, but was evasive about when he had last had a drink or whether he had fired the rifle. He failed a field sobriety test and refused a breath test.

Meanwhile, other officers were canvassing the area where the gunshots were heard to look for any damage. Two homes had bullet holes the owners confirmed were new.

Officers later conducted an interview with Flanary, and court documents say he admitted to drinking the beer while he was driving. He said firing the gun from the car was a form of stress relief.