PUEBLO, Colo. (AP) — A 13-year-old Colorado boy is recovering after police say a man shot the teen in the chest with a pellet gun for trying to steal marijuana.

The Pueblo Chieftain reports Monday (http://bit.ly/1me8o86 ) that 34-year-old Jason Lucero is jailed on an assault charge on suspicion of shooting the boy from his porch. Police say the boy tried to take marijuana plants growing in a backyard.

The boy was found early Saturday. A medical exam shows a pellet entered the boy’s chest and traveled down to rest between vital organs. Police say he was in stable condition at a Denver hospital.

Lucero told police he shot an intruder from his porch. Investigators say the teen was in a nearby yard when the pellet struck him.

A jail database doesn’t indicate if Lucero has an attorney.

___

Information from: The Pueblo Chieftain, http://www.chieftain.com

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.