Man allegedly shoots wife with crossbow while she slept on sofa

A 68-year-old man has been arrested and charged with attempted murder after allegedly shooting his wife with a crossbow while she slept on a sofa in their home.

The incident occurred at approximately 1:13 a.m. on Wednesday morning when authorities in Ottumwa, Iowa, responded to a report that a woman had been shot at a residence in the town, which is located approximately 90 miles southeast of the state capital of Des Moines.

The victim, later identified as 68-year-old Lillian Dennison, was reportedly on the sofa when her husband approached her with a crossbow and shot her as she slept, according to a press release published by the Ottumwa Police Department.

Authorities say that Dennison was taken to a local area hospital and treated for minor injuries suffered in the attack. She was subsequently released and is expected to survive.

Her husband managed to flee the scene of the crime after he allegedly shot her but was located approximately nine hours later, according to police.

"Later that morning at approximately 10:00 a.m., officers from the Ottumwa Police Department and the Wapello County Sheriff's Department arrested George Edward Dennison, age 68, near the wooded area around Evergreen and Mable in Ottumwa," police said in a statement.

George Dennison was arrested and taken into custody and charged with attempt to commit murder along with domestic abuse assault. Authorities did not disclose any possible motives in this case.

He is now being held on these charges in the Wapello County Jail with a $50,000 cash only bond but it is unclear when he will be appearing in court.