It all began, Joseph Piole said, when he sought out a contractor from the yellow pages.

It ended when the man Mr. Piole hired to fix his pond, Kenneth Kearns, nearly ended Mr. Piole's life, shooting him three times at Mr. Kearns' West Deer home June 15.

Yesterday, prosecutors added attempted homicide and reckless endangerment charges against Mr. Kearns, 45, who waived his right to a preliminary hearing. Initially, before investigators could interview Mr. Piole, Mr. Kearns had been charged only with aggravated assault.

Mr. Piole yesterday said he was satisfied to see Mr. Kearns, whose bond was revoked, in shackles.

In an interview several weeks ago, Mr. Piole, 44, of Pine, said he hired Mr. Kearns to fix a leak in his pond. While Mr. Kearns was working, he severed an electric line and cut power to Mr. Piole's house.

Mr. Kearns offered to let Mr. Piole and his 5-year-old son, Ryan, stay at his place on Mountain View Road for the night, and Mr. Piole accepted.

After Mr. Piole had put Ryan to bed that night, he and Mr. Kearns began to argue about payment for Mr. Kearns' work.

Mr. Piole said that out of nowhere, Mr. Kearns grabbed a handgun and fired three times while screaming, "Die."

After bullets pierced his chest and right leg, Mr. Piole said he fell to the ground and saw Mr. Kearns point the gun at his forehead as he said, "Say goodbye."

Mr. Piole said he closed his eyes, but Mr. Kearns did not fire again.

"I don't know what happened," Mr. Piole said. "Maybe he had second thoughts."

Bleeding profusely, Mr. Piole said he spent several minutes pleading with Mr. Kearns and his girlfriend, Damela Truckley, to call an ambulance.

Eventually, one of them did call authorities. When they arrived, according to a criminal complaint, Mr. Kearns told them that Mr. Piole "became enraged for virtually no reason" and attacked Mr. Kearns and Ms. Truckley before Mr. Kearns shot him.

Mr. Kearns' attorney, Patrick J. Thomassey, said yesterday that the shooting was justified and that Mr. Piole had a violent reputation.

"[Mr. Kearns] was afraid of this man," Mr. Thomassey said.

In 1995, Mr. Piole -- nicknamed "Tattoo Man" -- pleaded guilty to the sale of more than 11 pounds of cocaine, illegal possession of firearms and income tax evasion. He was sentenced to 14 years in prison and was released in August 1998. Mr. Piole also was found guilty of aggravated assault in 1991 and sentenced to probation.

But he contends that he presented no threat to Mr. Kearns.

"I didn't even have a sharpened pencil on me, so I wasn't an imminent danger for anyone," Mr. Piole said. "I was in my pajamas."

Mr. Piole said he spent three weeks in the hospital and suffered punctured lungs and cracked vertebrae. He wore a head and neck brace at the courthouse yesterday.

As for Ryan, who recently turned 6, Mr. Piole said detectives told him the boy didn't witness the shooting. Ryan has been going to counseling, Mr. Piole said, and appears to be doing fine.

Instead of repressing the memory, Ryan frequently brings it up.

"Dad," he will interrupt when Mr. Piole is talking to someone, "did you tell him Kenny Kearns shot you?"