https://www.wsmv.com/news/hendersonville-man-targets-sex-offenders-in-shooting-rampage/article_82f495d8-bd4f-11e8-92ce-3b758e2be959.html

A bizarre twist to a shooting investigation in Hendersonville.

Court documents show 54-year-old Robert Sauer targeted two registered sex offenders because he believed the judicial system and and the men did not serve enough time in prison.

Sauer told investigators he searched the sex offender registry and chose two men whose acts he was “particularly disgusted by” and wanted to get justice.

On September 7th, the men reported to police that their cars were spray painted with words including “pervert” and “rape.” One of the men also told police his mailbox was glued shut.

The homes are on Curtis Crossroads and Edgewood Drive, within three miles of Sauer’s home.

Two days later, one of the men reported his car was sprayed painted again, shot at, and that his mailbox was glued shut. 

Then, the situation quickly escalated.

“It’s so random to go from gluing someone’s mailbox shut and then a couple days later you shoot at their house and just very odd,” said Sergeant Neal Harris with Hendersonville Police.

On September 12th, a drive-by shooting was reported at one of the mens’ homes. Six bullets were fired at the house, two of them passed completely through. One of the bullets went into a bedroom and was caught in a pillow.

“When someone takes a gun and just starts shooting into a house in the middle of the night it could take the life of anyone in that home and that’s a very scary thing,” said Harris.

Finally, on September 15th, Sauer allegedly returned to one of the homes and shot several times again.

No one was injured, but one neighbor tells News4 it was traumatic.

“We heard 6 pops, one right after the other,” said Kathy Chapman, who lives next one of the men who is on the sex offender registry for trying to rape a child. She was stunned after learning the alleged motive behind the shooting rampage.

“It’s one thing to have your own personal beliefs and thoughts on things like that but that’s up to the justice system.”

A Hendersonville Police officer happened to be in the area when the final shooting happened and was able to pull Sauer over arrest him.

Court documents show Sauer admitted to the crimes. When asked if he knew he could have killed someone, Sauer reportedly said “well, I cant argue with the facts.”

Sauer is charged with two counts of attempted first-degree murder, aggravated assault, reckless endangerment and vandalism under $1,000 as well as three counts of vandalism over $1,000.

Sauer is now being held at the Sumner County Jail on a $1,000,000 bond.

He is expected in court on Sept. 26.

Police would ask that anyone with information on this case please call and report that information to Hendersonville Police at 615-822-1111 or the Hendersonville Crime Stoppers at 615-573-5400.

Tips may also be submitted anonymously by text to the number 274637 (crimes) using keyword TIPHPD.