Deputies responded to a wild scene after someone reported a man lying in a ditch with a firearm. When officers arrived on the scene, they spotted someone holding a handgun.
Officers drew their weapons and ordered the man to keep his hands in the air. The man then fired the gun, and another man in a hoodie carrying a bag ran away.
Offices ordered the armed man to drop the gun once more, and he turned and pointed it in the officers’ direction. At that point, deputies say he realized they were law enforcement and dropped the gun.
One officer went after the fleeing subject while the other dealt with the man who identified himself as the homeowner. The deputy noted the homeowner smelled and acted as if he were drunk.
He told officers he’d been enjoying about ten beers at home when he spotted a man walk through the yard of his Hanging Rock home and pee behind his house. He grabbed his weapon and fired a shot at the man.
Officers arrested the man for using a weapon while intoxicated. They discovered he had a previous burglary and felonious assault charge and was not allowed to possess weapons. So, they charged him with having weapons under a disability and booked him into the Lawrence County Jail.
Deputies were able to positively identify the trespasser.