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A Glenville man who allegedly fired a rifle and injured a man who attempted to steal his pickup last month near Gordonsville pleaded not guilty Thursday to his charges.

James Joseph Vinton, 38, faces one count of second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon and one count of intentional discharge of a firearm that endangers the safety of another, both felonies.

Deputies were dispatched Sept. 26 to 11859 800th Ave. in Freeborn County after receiving a call from a woman that someone had stolen a blue Chevy pickup and that her husband had shot a gun into the air.

When a deputy arrived, the pickup was in the ditch and hung up on a fence, and other men were standing in the road. The person who had attempted to take the truck was sitting on the ground near the driver’s side of the vehicle and said he couldn’t stand or move the right side of his body. He had two puncture wounds to the top of his back and was ultimately taken to St. Marys Hospital in Rochester. He is expected to make a full recovery.

Vinton told authorities he fired one shot over the pickup and said he figured it was kids trying to take the truck and was hoping to scare them. He fired a second shot a little while later, stating he shot at the rear driver’s tire to get the vehicle to stop.

Vinton posted non-cash bond and was released from the Freeborn County jail Sept. 28.

A jury trial has been slated for July 5, 2022, with a pre-trial hearing June 17, 2022.