Man pleads not guilty in Clark County shooting

A man accused of shooting at a motorist in his driveway in Clark County pleaded not guilty to felonious assault with a weapon Wednesday morning, according to court documents.

Bond was set at $75,000 for 56-year-old Ernest McRobie in the Clark County Municipal Court.

McRobie reportedly fired two rounds at a pickup truck driver who pulled into McRobie’s driveway at 5982 Springfield-Xenia Road around 5 p.m. Tuesday.

One round went through the victim’s passenger door and hit him in the right shoulder, according to court documents.

The victim was driving home from work when he went to call his wife, Clark County Sheriff’s deputies said.

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When he couldn’t find his phone, he stopped at the apron of the driveway to look for it.

“I thought I left my phone at work and pulled over,” he said in a 9-1-1 call.

When the victim found his phone, he reportedly noticed McRobie walking down the driveway toward him with a handgun.

McRobie, who deputies believe was drunk, then fired two rounds at the victim while only about five feet away, deputies said.

The victim was able to drive away and pulled over on Airpark Drive, where he called 9-1-1. He was treated and released from Greene Memorial Hospital.

“It could have been a far worse situation than what it was,” Lt. Kristopher Shultz said. “Obviously it’s a serious incident anyway; anytime you have someone discharging a firearm into a vehicle or into a roadway area, it is a highly dangerous situation. Everybody here was pretty much lucky that this did not turn out any worse than it was.”

A portion of Springfield-Xenia Road was closed in Airpark Drive area Tuesday evening and McRobie was taken into custody.
According to deputies, he didn't have much to say.

“He was — um — incredulous — that was his reaction to us and our questioning,” Shultz said. “But he did not wish to talk to us about anything.”

McRobie was taken into custody on suspicion of felonious assault, use of weapons while intoxicated and discharge at or on a prohibited premises.

The third charge was because McRobie fired into the street, according to investigators.

“You've got an extensive amount of traffic moving back and forth so it could have a far worse situation,” Shultz said.

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