COVENTRY – Chenango County Sheriff’s Deputies arrested a Coventry man for allegedly pointing a gun at two men who claim they had prior permission to be on his property.

James G. Clendening, 61, was charged with second degree criminal menacing and endangering the welfare of a child after he allegedly pointed a shotgun at his neighbors as they cut wood on his property.

Police said they could not confirm if the weapon was loaded at the time.

“The issue isn’t if the gun was actually loaded, it’s if the victims were under the impression that it was. There was obviously an intent on the part of the defendant to cause a fear that the gun was loaded and that’s what matters here,” said Sheriff’s Detective Sergeant Richard Cobb.