When Jeremiah Morin saw two masked kidnappers trying to drag his fiancée away from their Houston-area home last week, he pulled out a gun and started shooting at them.

Jeremiah Morin (Montgomery County Sheriff's Office)

The kidnappers ran off, and Montgomery County sheriff's deputies arrested a man a short time later: Morin.

Authorities charged the 35-year-old Spring man with deadly conduct, a third-degree felony, saying that he had fired his gun "in a complete disregard and reckless manner," failing to consider whether anyone was in the cars and homes in his neighborhood.

Detectives didn't deny that a heinous act had narrowly been averted. They noted that they believed the men brought zip ties to restrain Angela Estrada, who had just arrived home with her 4-year-old and 9-month-old children.

Neighbors reported that one of the men had Estrada in a headlock as he pulled her away.

"It looked like some nefarious stuff was going to happen," Montgomery County Sheriff's Capt. Bryan Carlisle told the Houston Chronicle. "There's no doubt about that."

But the Sheriff's Office said in a news release that Morin and Estrada were uncooperative during the investigation.

"The victim and Morin refused to complete statements or file charges against anyone involved in the incident," the statement says. "Furthermore, the victim and Morin became upset with neighbors for notifying law enforcement about the shooting. It should be noted that neither the victim nor Morin contacted law enforcement about the incident."

Authorities searched the home and seized two guns, as well as video surveillance of the incident. They did not find any nearby homes struck by bullets.

Morin told KTRK-TV that he and Estrada weren't cooperative because of how deputies treated them.

"Why would I cooperate when they come in my house, not asking about the suspects but being rude, cussing at us?" Morin said.

He also denied the Sheriff's Office's charge that he is a member of the Tango Blast gang, telling KTRK that he's a changed man since serving time on a drug charge a decade ago.

Morin told the TV station he was released from custody after a judge found no probable cause for his arrest and dismissed the case.

He and Estrada — who worries that the attackers might come back — said the whole ordeal was upsetting.

"It's a humiliating, embarrassing feeling because even my neighbors were saying, 'Why are they taking him to jail when he saved her life?'" Estrada told KTRK.

The Montgomery County Sheriff's Office did not respond to requests for comment on the charge being dismissed.