Authorities say 50-year-old Morris Bernard Lopez fired off his rifle several times from the deck of the fishing vessel Sandra Marie while it was tied up in the Dillingham Boat Harbor last Saturday.
Others nearby called police, and the first officer on the scene ordered everyone off the boat. The officer reported that Lopez appeared to be drunk, and requested a search warrant to retrieve the gun, spent shell casings, and what turned out to be four empty bottles of vodka.
Assistant district attorney Beth Oates offered Lopez a deal on a misdemeanor weapons misconduct charge, which he accepted Tuesday. In return for a guilty plea, Lopez will serve 10 days in jail, forfeit the rifle to the state, and will remain on probation for two years, during which time he's been ordered not to drink alcohol.
Magistrate Judge Tina Reigh said she had reservations about accepting the deal, which she indicated was lenient for a man who had put others in the harbor at potentially significant risk.
Lopez said he was just getting ready for hunting season.
He was ordered to begin his 10-day sentence immediately.
Dave Bendinger is the news director at KDLG in Dillingham, where this story first appeared. It is republished here with permission.