MIAMI TOWNSHIP, Ohio -- A North Bend man who pointed a shotgun at his neighbors Saturday morning stands charged with aggravated menacing, endangering children and using weapons while intoxicated, according to Miami Township police.
Kayla Hobbs, one of the neighbors in question, captured the encounter on video. She said she was dozing off early in the morning when she heard a gunshot.
"I thought I was dreaming," she said. “And then I hear another one."
The sound was Alvarez shooting out his own apartment window from the inside, police said.
Hobbs said Alvarez and his family, including his two-year-old son, rushed outside. When Alvarez caught sight of Hobbs through her window and cocked the gun at her, and she dropped to the ground to call 9-11.
Amber Alvarez, Joe’s wife, denied that Joe pointed at neighbors and that their son -- who has since been removed from the home -- was ever in danger.
"He believed there were people that were trying to break into our house," she said. "There were people outside messing with our vehicles, and he felt that our family was in danger."
Amber Alvarez claimed that some of those people were wearing hockey masks like the one sported by Jason Voorhees in the "Friday the 13th" movie series.
"(Joe) may need to talk to somebody and work on some issues, but he’s not some crazy maniac,” Amber Alvarez said. “He loves his son. He’s a great father."
Joe Alvarez is being held on a $60,000 bond. He pleaded not guilty to the charged levied against him.
"I hope that he gets help," Hobbs said.
