WEBSTER CITY – It’s not the Hatfields and the McCoys but these two Northern Iowa fellas definitely have the bad blood and the charges to prove it.
On October 18, 2024 at approximately 0925 hours, the Webster City Police Department received a call about shots being fired on Park Avenue. The caller stated the driver of the red pickup truck had discharged a firearm from the vehicle. Additional calls were received reporting the same incident.
Officers located the red pickup truck near the Webster City Veterinary Clinic and detained the driver, who was identified as Tanner James Spencer, 27 of Fort Dodge. Two firearms and ammunition were found in the vehicle.
Following an investigation, it was determined Mr. Spencer was involved in an altercation with a second individual who was identified as William Charles Ervin Curtis, 53 of Fort Dodge. The altercation escalated at which time Mr. Spencer pulled out a handgun and cycled a round into the chamber in an attempt to deter Mr. Curtis. The altercation continued and Mr. Spencer discharged the handgun into the air in what was described as an “act of self-defense.”
Tanner James Spencer was charged with Discharging a Firearm in the City Limits, a Simple Misdemeanor. William Charles Ervin Curtis was charged with Simple Assault, a Simple Misdemeanor. A Simple Misdemeanor is punishable by a fine of at least $105 and not more than $855 and up to 30 days in jail.
No one was injured by the rounds discharged from the firearm. This was an isolated incident between these two individuals, police say.
The Webster City Police Department was assisted by the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office and the Hamilton County Attorney’s Office.