A 69-year-old Villages man is facing several felony charges after deputies say he fired 33 rounds from a semiautomatic handgun Monday night into the residence of a female neighbor of whom he'd become infatuated.

  • Villages man fired 33 rounds into neighbor's home
  • He was intoxicated and infatuated with his neighbor, deputies say
  • No one was at the home during the shooting
  • Howard Sparber faces multiple felony charges

Sumter County deputies were called to the 2500 block of Landale Loop in The Villages just before 8:30 p.m. Monday. They said Howard Sparber, 69, was intoxicated and shot into the neighbor's home in an attempt to get in. The rounds entered the storm door, front door and continued through the foyer and into the kitchen. The neighbor's home incurred about $3,000 in damages, deputies said.

The residents were not home at the time.

During the shooting, neighbors heard the shots and confronted Sparber, who was holding a Sig Sauer 9mm semi-automatic handgun, deputies said.

The female neighbor said Sparber has been harassing her since November 2015 with sexual propositions and had previously pointed a firearm at her.

Sparber is being held in the Sumter County Detention Center with no bond on charges of armed burglary, aggravated stalking, shooting into a dwelling and criminal mischief.