Brown arraigned on multiple charges following firearm incident

A woman accused of firing a gun in a residential neighborhood and later hiding the weapon from investigators was arraigned on multiple charges in Lincoln County District Court on June 15.

Bobby Renee Brown pleaded not guilty to felony counts of criminal endangerment and tampering with or fabricating physical evidence.

Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office deputies arrested Brown on May 28 after receiving a report of a woman screaming while firing a gun near Ring Loop and Milnor Lake roads. In an affidavit, Deputy Steve Short recounted the victim telling him that Brown allegedly had been squatting on his land.

He told Short that he heard gunshots as he drove by the property, although he did not see who had fired. Short could not find any bulletholes in the victim’s vehicle, according to court documents.

A witness, though, told authorities he saw Brown shooting toward a vacant home owned by the victim on Milnor Lake Road. He accused her of also shooting at a nearby transformer.

According to court documents, investigators found and collected spent shell casings near the home. Two casings were discovered on the driveway and another two were left on the front door of the residence, the documents said.

During an interview, Brown initially denied owning or shooting a gun, according to Short’s affidavit.

Under questioning, her story changed, according to Short. Brown later allegedly admitted to shooting a gun the day prior. Then she told authorities she shot a gun on the day of the incident, but only in the air “and out of frustration,” according to the affidavit.

Brown continued to deny shooting at the home or transformer, Short wrote. She told authorities she gave the gun back to its owner, but could not remember who had loaned the weapon to her, court documents said.

Eventually, Brown conceded she had the gun, according to the affidavit. She opened a nearby toolbox and showed the contents to Short. Inside, he found a .45 caliber semiautomatic pistol.

Brown was arrested shortly thereafter. Short wrote that the tampering charge came as a result of Brown hiding the weapon after realizing the incident was likely to come under investigation.

Criminal endangerment carries a maximum penalty of 10 years behind bars and a fine of $50,000. Tampering with a witness is punishable by up to $10,000 in fines and 10 years in state prison.

An omnibus hearing for the case is scheduled for Aug. 24 with a pretrial hearing set for Oct. 5. If the case goes to trial, it is scheduled to start Nov. 17.