Two arrested after dispute

Cape Girardeau police arrested two men Monday evening involved in a dispute that resulted in a car window being shot out on William Street.

"One was arrested for throwing a punch, and one for pulling a trigger," said Sgt. Rick Schmidt.

Police said Tommy D. Lane, 30, of Cape Girardeau, heard a knock at his apartment door shortly before 6 p.m.

"When he opened it, Rickey Nunley was there upset over a rumor he had heard going around," Schmidt said.

He told officers Nunley, 48, of Cape Girardeau, punched him in the face. There was an exchange of angry words before Nunley returned to his car to leave. Schmidt could not comment on what the rumor concerned.

The situation then escalated when Lane retrieved a .380 semiautomatic handgun from his apartment, Schmidt said.

"He fired one round at Nunley's car, striking and breaking a rear window," Schmidt said. "No one was hit by a bullet and no one was injured."

Lane then went to the police station to report being punched and then to a local hospital for treatment. While there, officers interviewed him about the incident.

Nunley went to the police station at about 9 p.m. to report being shot at, Schmidt said. He was charged with a misdemeanor of third-degree assault.

Lane was charged with a class D felony for unlawful use of a weapon. As of late Monday, both men remain in custody at the Cape Girardeau County Jail. Nunley's bond is set at $2,500 and Lane's is $5,000.

Nunley has other criminal convictions. He pleaded guilty Jan. 14, 2002, to a third-degree domestic assault charge and received two years probation. In October 2000, he was found guilty of third-degree assault causing injury and sentenced to 15 days in jail. In October 1999, he pleaded guilty to possession of a controlled substance and was placed on five years probation.

mwells@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 160