Belfair man allegedly shoots crossbow at neighbor

The Mason County Regional SWAT team arrested a Belfair man who refused to come out of his trailer after the man allegedly shot a crossbow at his neighbor, according to the sheriff's office.

Officers used a flash-bang device and "gas type items" to compel Robert Bird, 60, to surrender, according to a Mason County Sheriff's Office probable cause document.

Bird said he "didn't want to come out because he didn't do anything wrong," the document states.

Bird's neighbor contacted police March 9 about a dispute that later escalated when Bird "returned with a cocked and loaded crossbow, which he pointed at me and fired, narrowly missing me," the neighbor wrote in a March 12 protection order petition.

Deputies found the arrow stuck in a tree.

MCSO Deputy Gaynor "attempted to remove it from the tree but could not because of how buried it was," he wrote in the probable cause document.

Bird was upset with his neighbor for contacting Bird's landlord, according to court documents. The neighbor wrote in the petition about several incidents with Bird that prompted him to call the landlord, including "screaming and yelling at night, playing loud music, blowing train whistles to quiet coyote wildlife, physical altercations with himself and revving his motorcycle late at night. These incidents have been going on for months," the neighbor wrote.

Bird also aimed his crossbow at another neighbor's livestock, according to the protection petition.

"Mr. Bird's actions have made me feel extremely threatened, fearful for my safety, and the safety of my neighbors and their livestock. His aggressive behavior and the use of a high-powered crossbow have created an environment of fear and intimidation. The ongoing harassment and disturbances have caused significant emotional distress and disrupted the peace and well-being of the neighborhood," the neighbor wrote.

The neighbor's wife also filed a petition for order of protection March 12, stating Bird harassed her and her husband by positioning a floodlight to shine directly on their bedroom window.

Bird told her he was not going to reposition the light until "the person behind you stops pointing their brite lite at my bedroom window," she wrote in the petition.

"But no one was behind us shining or pointing any lights in his direction nor at his bedroom window," she stated.

Judge Tirsa Butler granted a temporary antiharassment protection for both petitions that requires Bird to surrender his crossbow.

After Bird's arrest, he spoke with deputies and denied firing the crossbow at anyone, according to the probable cause document.

"Robert said he had been having problems with the neighbors and he will sometimes play his music loud but stated he was not violent," Gaynor wrote.

Bird was arrested for second-degree assault and Judge Monty Cobb set bail at $2,500.

Bird's arraignment is March 24 in Mason County Superior Court.