Joliet woman accused of firing shot into the air to scare woman: cops

A Joliet woman has been charged with recklessly firing a 9 mm handgun after she was accused of firing one round into the air in an effort to scare a woman who possibly wanted to begin an altercation with her, police said.

About 4 p.m. Sunday, Ashley Hester, 36, was booked into the Will County jail and charged with the misdemeanor offenses of reckless conduct and disorderly conduct in connection with the incident.

At 1:50 p.m. on Sunday, officers went to the 800 block of Virginia Street in response to a report of shots fired, according to Joliet police Sgt. Dwayne English.

Officers met with Hester in the driveway of her residence on that street, he said.

“Hester indicated to officers that she had fired one round into the air in an effort to scare a female adult that had arrived to possibly begin an altercation with her,” English said.

The other woman had left the area, he said.

Officers recovered a loaded 9 mm handgun from her residence and determined she possessed a valid firearm owner’s identification card, English said.

No damage or injuries were reported, he said.

The charges were filed in a criminal complaint against Hester on Monday. According to the complaint, Hester allegedly shot the handgun in “such an unreasonable manner as to alarm and disturb another, an unknown neighbor.”