PICTURE BUTTE, Alta. — Two golfers looking for their ball at a southern Alberta course instead found themselves face-to-face Thursday afternoon with a gun-toting man.
The male golfers in their 30s or 40s were near the seventh tee at the golf course in Picture Butte, southeast of Calgary, when the ball went into an adjoining field.
One golfer went to look for the ball and was confronted by the owner of the property.
“I guess it’s been an ongoing issue between the golf course and the people using the golf course and the landowners with respect to people going onto their land without permission,” said Cpl. Bryan Mucha.
The landowner had a shotgun and fired two or possibly three shots as a warning to stay off his land, Mucha said.
“They were not fired directly at the two golfers, they were up into the air, so nobody was hurt.”
The golfers left and called police, who arrested the landowner without incident.
Mucha said the golfers went over a fence that had several signs on it that say “Do Not Enter” and “No Trespassing.”
“It’s definitely a concern. The reaction to the action seems to be a little bit extreme here,” the corporal said.
“Rightfully and wrongfully there’s two things that have been violated. One is at the lower end of the scale in terms of severity and the other is quite high. We’ll let the courts decide.”
The man, who Mucha says can’t be named until charges are formally laid, will appear in court on May 31 in Lethbridge, Alta.
Charges of pointing a firearm, unlawful possession of a firearm, use of a firearm while uttering threats and unsafe handling of a firearm are pending.