A man was caught shooting his rifle at the rear of a barn on Monday afternoon. 

It was around 3:15 p.m. when Deputy Roland J. Smithers Jr. got a call about gunshots fired by Robert L. Worthington, age 46, on the intersection of County Highway K and Cussvile Road in Rumphannock. 

A 2012 Chevrolet S-10 pickup truck identified as belonging to Worthington was located parked on the shoulder of Cussville Road about a quarter of a mile east of the site.

Farmer Clem R. Kadiddlehopper, age 67, is the owner of the property that Worthington was shooting around. He saw Worthington with his gun in the field behind his barn. He then called Smithers Jr. and his backup, Deputy Susan K. Smithers, who arrived just minutes after.

When told to drop the gun, Worthington rebelled and lunged at Susan Smithers, grabbing her neck in a choke hold. He pretended to surrender so both deputies would come near him, and cried while in the field carrying a .22-caliber bolt-action rifle in one hand and a liquor bottle in the other. 

“I wasn’t gonna hurt no one,” suspect told deputies. “Shit, I was just all worked up over all this crap goin’ on, and I thought I might feel better if I shot up some bottles and shit. Now I gone and f—ed up everything.”

Smithers dropped her weapon and began struggling with Worthington’s arm around her neck. After Rolan Smithers pulled Worthington away from his wife, he grabbed Worthington around the neck.

Susquehanna County usually is prohibited from hiring spouses, but the state issued a waiver to help fulfill the goals of a 1996 law, the Pennsylvania Law Enforcement Gender Equity Act, which encourages the hiring of more women as police officers, sheriff’s deputies and state troopers.

Susan Smithers employed a taser device on Worthington from about five feet away and temporarily disabled his actions. Both deputies handcuffed Worthington and placed him in Roland Smithers’ squad car. 

Worthington was booked at Susquehanna County Jail in Kittatinny. On recommendation of prosecutors, Circuit Judge Clarence L. Simon issued charges of public intoxication, trespassing, two counts of assaulting a law enforcement officer, and reckless use of a deadly weapon. Worthington was being held overnight pending a bail hearing on Tuesday.