Hopkins Man Suspected of Shooting at Imaginary People

A Hopkins man is accused of shooting at imagined people.

Police went to Rosewood West apartments around 2:50 a.m. Saturday following a report that shots had been fired. According to court documents, Dale Alan Haugen, 53, told police he fired shots from his .22-caliber rifle when he heard people in the hallway.

Officers determined that one bullet had gone through the apartment door and across the hallway before lodging in another apartment door.

In Haugen’s apartment, officers found a rifle, two shotguns and boxes of .22-caliber and 30-06 ammunition. They also found 21 empty Molson Ice beers on the counter.

Officers later learned Haugen had called police twice earlier in the evening. On one call, he told them people in camouflage clothes were hiding in the trees outside the building, signaling to break inside. When officers couldn’t find anyone, police say he told them that he was probably seeing things because of drinking too much.

Haugen has been charged with reckless discharge of a firearm, a felony that carries a penalty of up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine. He was released from jail on $4,000 bond.