POTTSVILLE -- Charges against a man accused of shooting his daughter's boyfriend have been dismissed because the victim failed to appear at a preliminary court hearing on Monday.
"Why didn't he show up? Because he knew he did wrong," said Eugene Jadus of Shenandoah.
"I think there was a reason. I think he was probably scared of repercussion," added Terri Davidson of Shenandoah.
Donald Jenkins, 40, of Shenandoah, was taken into custody last month after police said he shot his daughter's 20-year-old boyfriend in the groin at a hotel in West Mahanoy Township, Schuylkill County.
Jenkins was facing multiple charges including attempted homicide.
Investigators said the daughter and the victim were staying in a room of the hotel and that Jenkins was upset his daughter was dating the victim.
"I have three daughters and five granddaughters. You do the math on that one," Jadus said.
The story has been the talk of Shenandoah since the shooting happened last month.
"I don't know how I would act. It would depend on the circumstances. It's a hard situation to think of unless you're in those shoes. You don't know what you would do," Davidson said.
People in Shenandoah believe there was a reason Jenkins did not want his adult daughter dating that man.
"If I thought my daughter was being harmed, I think I would go out of my way to protect her," Davidson said.
Shenandoah police tell Newswatch 16, Jenkins and his family have always been quiet. In fact, the officer we spoke to said he never even heard of Jenkins before this.
"As a father, as a parent yourself, if you think your child is being harmed, you're going to do anything you can to protect them. Even if it means you're jeopardizing your own life to do so," Davidson said.
The shooting victim was hospitalized and authorities said he was recovering.