Neighbors afraid for their safety
Bullets, booze and the Bulldogs aren’t best buddies, a local man discovered last week.
Police arrested James Larry Lawrence for discharging a firearm under the influence of alcohol.
Lawrence was firing his AR-15 to celebrate the Georgia Bulldogs’ victory over Alabama’s Crimson Tide, according to a Gilmer County Sheriff’s Office (GCSO) incident report.
But to his neighbor living downrange, it was anything but festive.
Richard Nable and his wife were standing on their porch when they saw the muzzle flashes from Lawrence’s rifle and heard him yelling, the incident report stated.
After about six rounds, Lawrence got in a truck to drive next door, they said.
In response, they called 911.
When Deputy Scott Camp and Lieutenant Gene Hefner arrived on the scene, they spoke with Lawrence.
He admitted to firing shots in celebration of the Bulldogs win and drinking “two shots” of alcohol. He didn’t specify the type of alcohol or the size of the shots, according to the incident report.
The porch of his neighbor’s house was “in direct alignment” with the porch Lawrence shot from, Camp said.
Although Lawrence refused a breathalyzer test, he was visibly intoxicated, the incident report said.
Camp arrested Lawrence for reckless conduct and for discharging a firearm while under the influence of alcohol.
Under Georgia law, the penalty for discharging a firearm under the influence can be a $5,000 fine and up to a year in jail.
Reckless conduct can be a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail and a $1,000 fine, but in some cases can be a felony.