A Salem man faces five felony offenses in connection with allegedly shooting two Intercounty Electric Cooperative employees who were working to restore power following a thunderstorm, according to documents filed in circuit court.
Jimmy Shane Hoornaert, born 1967, was charged in a May 20 warrant with felony charges of armed criminal action, possession of controlled substance, unlawful use of weapon and two counts of second-degree assault - special victim. His bond was set at $500,000.
Deputies with the Dent County Sheriff’s Office responded May 20 to a report two Intercounty Electric Cooperative employees had been shot, according to the case’s probable cause statement. In written statements, the employees state the power was out May 20 following a storm and they were out repairing broken electric poles when they stopped to speak to a resident in their driveway. Hoornaert then allegedly emerged from a nearby camper and fired three bullets at them. The statement details all three bullets struck a four-wheeler one of the Intercounty Electric Cooperative employees was operating. One bullet ricocheted, and it or a piece of shrapnel hit the rider in the knee. The other employee was wounded in the ear and later had a metal fragment removed from their leg.
Hoornaert is quoted in the statement as claiming he’d fired his rifle into the air because his neighbor and a 10-year-old boy had recently been messing with his trailer, so he opened fire when he heard a four-wheeler pull up, at which point Hoornaert’s neighbor shouted the individuals were from Intercounty Electric.
The statement says three .223-caliber casings were recovered from the scene as well as an AR-15 style rifle Hoornaert allegedly used, plus four additional firearms and ammunition. Inspection confirmed three bullet holes were found in the four-wheeler and that it was parked on neighbor’s property at the time of the shooting, not on the property where Hoornaert was living. Methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia was also recovered from the camper during a search and Hoornaert is quoted as admitting he’d used meth within the past three weeks. A preliminary urine test also showed a positive result for the presence of meth.
During a later interview at the sheriff’s office, the statement quotes Hoornaert to say he may have been wrong that he shot the bullets into the air.
When contacted by The Salem News, Heather Kidwell, Director of Communications for Intercounty Electric Cooperative, responded, “While this is still an active investigation, we cannot share details beyond what's been reported. However, we can let you know our linemen are thankfully okay, and we're incredibly grateful for the quick and professional responses of law enforcement and medical personnel that took care of our linemen.”
The charges described above are merely an accusation and are not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charge must be presented before a court of competent jurisdiction whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.
