St. Louis County sheriff's deputies continue to investigate a rash of vehicle prowls in Rice Lake earlier this month that led to a homeowner firing three shots at a man and woman he believed were the suspects.

No one was hurt, and no one has been arrested for the thefts. But the homeowner may face charges for firing the gun, authorities said.

According to Sgt. Wade Rasch, at least 16 homeowners reported they had vehicles prowled, many with items stolen, overnight on Sept. 17-18.

"We suspect there were more that were unreported," said Rasch. "They were up all night, right until sunrise, going through a lot of vehicles out there."

Most of the vehicles were unlocked, not broken into, and most of the items taken were not major - cameras, sunglasses and small amounts of money, Rasch said.

Residences along several roads were victimized. But when the suspects were rummaging through a vehicle at a home on Charles Road at about 6:30 a.m. on Sept. 18, the homeowner saw a light on inside his vehicle.

"Everything we have after that point is sketchy, because we only have one version. But he (the homeowner) said he went out and found a man and a woman leaving his property, carrying his camera. So he grabbed the woman," Rasch said. "Then the other suspect pulled out a pistol, which we now believe was a dog training pistol (that shoots only blanks). So the homeowner lets go of the woman and then runs in his house to get his own gun."

Rasch said the homeowner then reported running down his driveway and firing three shots at a white sedan as it sped away.

"We aren't sure it was even white. The story keeps changing," Rasch said of the homeowner's version of events.

No suspects have been caught or even identified, Rasch said, because the homeowner has not provided a solid description of the couple.

"He can't even tell us what race the suspects are," Rasch said.

The Sheriff's Office is considering submitting a report for charges to be filed against the homeowner, although any decision to charge would be up to the county attorney.

"They (the suspects) were leaving. They weren't threatening him at that point. You can't try to kill someone for taking a camera out of your car," Rasch said. "At the very least I think we will be looking at charging him with reckless discharge of a firearm."