A rural Bellefontaine man was arrested late Monday evening for charges that include using weapons while intoxicated during an incident where he allegedly fired a handgun after inviting his son-in-law out to his camper that night.
James A. Blackburn, 74, of 6852 County Road 26, also was charged with felonious assault and having weapons under disability and was lodged in the Logan County Jail. No injuries were reported in the incident.
Deputies of the Logan County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched about 10 p.m. to his address on a report of an intoxicated man who was armed and had fired a weapon into the residence. They were informed that Blackburn lived in a camper behind the main residence.
When they arrived, Blackburn was in the camper and deputies reportedly observed that he had a handgun in his hand and appeared to be attempting to reload it. He then allegedly pointed the handgun out the window.
The defendant was ordered out of the camper and he showed deputies his hands when he came outside, as instructed. Deputies then approached him with their weapons drawn and placed him into custody without further incident.
While speaking with family members at the residence, Blackburn’s son-in-law told deputies that the defendant had invited him out to the camper to have a beer with him that evening. When the son-in-law arrived at the camper, he said he observed that Blackburn had two firearms, and the defendant reportedly told him they were going to have a “heart-to-heart.”
The son-in-law said he then ran from the camper and he heard Blackburn fire the weapon. Blackburn’s daughter said during the course of the incident, she heard her father fire the firearm until it was empty, between approximately 10 to 12 rounds.
While on the scene, deputies observed glass in the rear door on the west side of the home was shattered and noticed a round had struck the door knob. A round also had struck a kitchen window and the bullet was on found on the kitchen floor. Additionally, rounds were located in a cabinet and another in the dishwasher.
Detectives were called to the scene as well and the defendant’s daughter provided a consent to search the residence. Detectives also executed a search warrant at the camper.