A Folsom man was ordered held in jail for allegedly shooting at a man who came to his home with a baseball bat.
John Farren and his friend Christopher Rotellini were at his home Dec. 18, when the alleged victim arrived "to have a verbal exchange" with Rotellini over Rotellini's ex-wife, according to the affidavit of probable cause obtained by BreakingAC.
The victim, whose name was redacted from the report, went to Farren's door with a green Easton baseball bat he then used to smash the home's glass screen door, the affidavit states.
Farren then got his Colt Commander .45-caliber handgun, went out his front door and threatened to kill the man, the report claims.
Farren fired multiple shots at the man, who fled into the nearby woods, the affidavit states.
The man was not struck but his Jeep Grand Cherokee was. Farren also allegedly struck one of the headlights with a hammer.
Farren never intended to strike the man, his attorney said, noting that he has competed in many shooting competitions, winning several. The gun was legally owned.
"He shot to the car, he hit that car, that was his target," defense attorney Christina Naughton said, arguing that the current attempted murder charge will be dropped once all of the evidence is in.
Instead, she said her client was in fear for his life after the man — who he does not know — showed up to his home, threatened him and his friend, and then broke his door using the bat as a weapon.
It was Farren who called police to the home, Naughton said.
The 68-year-old man is disabled and has no criminal history, she said.
"He told me he doesn't have so much as a parking ticket," Naughton said.
The affidavit claims that Farren made multiple statements about wanting to kill the man, but Naugthon said she does not believe that will be proven.
Judge Jeffrey Waldman said that, while further discovery may be enough to reopen the detention hearing, he would be ordering Farren held.
The victim has a fourth-degree criminal mischief charge for his part, a source told BreakingAC.
