A 75-year-old Oklahoma man was arrested after allegedly wrestling a man for a gun and then spraying pepper spray in his face at a farm in Fort McCoy.
Robert Kendall Archambeault, of Oklahoma City, was charged with simple battery and trespassing after the incident, which happened Thursday afternoon at a property on NE County Road 3315.
The responding Marion County sheriff’s deputy found the employee detaining Archambeault at gunpoint when he arrived. Both parties were cooperative and were separated, and the firearm was secured, according to the sheriff’s office report.
The victim told the deputy he works on the property and was interrupted by Archambeault, who came into the barn and asked him to speak outside. The victim said he was trying to call the owner of the property when Archambeault sprayed the right side of his face with pepper spray without any provocation or warning, the report said.
The victim said he punched Archambeault, knocking him to the ground, and began to try to detain him. He said Archambeaut began to reach into a canvas pouch that was attached to his torso, but the victim prevented him from pulling anything out of it. Archambeault complied with the victim’s commands, and when the victim looked into the pouch, he found a small black handgun that he held onto until the deputy arrived, according to the report.
Archambeault told the deputy he was at the location to try and purchase some antlers he had seen on the property. He said the victim violently grabbed him by the arm, so he used the pepper spray in self-defense. He said he was carrying the firearm legally but didn’t explain why he didn’t leave it in his vehicle, the report said.
The property owner told the deputy that Archambeault has been on the property at least two other times this month and she wanted to pursue trespassing charges. The entire property is enclosed by a wood fence that is at least 3 feet high and the gate is secured with a chain that Archambeault had to remove in order to enter, according to the report.
Archambeault was taken to the Marion County Jail, where he was released Sunday on $2,000 bond. He’ll appear in Marion County Court on Oct. 10.