Warrant question

What is the name of your state? GA

My brother and I were target shooting in our back yard (in the county, very rural) into a thick line of trees. You can't see any homes, even if you walk into the treeline. A cop shows up claiming a bullet has hit a chicken coop and the old couple probably won't press charges, but he claims he hasn't been there yet. He came to our home first. He takes our information and the handgun (left the bullets and clip) and says he'll be in contact with us.

A week later a detective shows up at our house when we're not home and takes many pictures of the yard and treeline and takes measurements of various things.

He calls me and asks me to come in to make a statement, which I do. He claims that the bullet lodged in a screen on the home, not a chicken coop and he doesn't know how the bullet travelled to where it did. He makes the statement that we couldn't hit the screen with a high powered rifle while he pointed to where the window was.

He claims he didn't get pictures of the bullet, the window or the screen, but now says that the bullet tapped the window, cracking it. He claims he still doesn't know if the owners will press charges, but he doubts it.

He showed up at my brothers workplace and took a statement from him.

A week later he calls my brothers workplace saying we should come down to the court that's attached to the county jail and go before a judge. He says we can do this any day we wish, but doesn't give any other information.

I called him several times, left messages. He didn't return my calls. I called the station and they told me that I'd have to wait until he returned my calls, they couldn't help me. For a little over a week I left 8 or 9 messages just to him, not counting the calls to the station and going down to the station and getting the same answer.

I travel on business and was out of town this week. The original deputy showed up at our home telling our room-mate that he was there to arrest me and my brother. The room-mate informed him that I was out of town, but my brother was at our mothers home.

He called my mothers and spoke with both of them. He told my mother that a small child lived in the house. My mother assured the officer that my brother would leave immediately to turn himself in, which he did. She bonded him out soon afterwards. The deputy told her to have me turn myself in when I returned home.

My brother was booked, told it was for reckless endangerment and bonded out. The bondsman gave him a sheet of paper that said when our court date was and that we could pay a $275 bond and not go to court.

When I got back into town I went down, with the bondsman, and turned myself in. As I was being booked I discussed everything that had transpired with the officers there. They couldn't believe that we didn't know much, that I'd never been notified of a warrant, that we were told there were no pictures of the evidence, etc.

I was told that two men lived in the house. I was told that I was not to be anywhere near these people or I'd be arrested. I told them that I didn't even know who these people were, so how could I stay away from them, aside from staying away from the house, which I still don't know where it is. Literally, there aren't any homes behind this treeline, only way beyond the treeline at an extreme angle where I didn't shoot and still don't see any homes in that direction from my yard.

I asked to see the warrant and any evidence, such as pictures, that they had. They refused to show me the warrants or evidence. Is it legal for them to arrest me and book me without showing me a warrant? It's my warrant, right?

Afterwards, the bondsman and I were talking. He'd walked over to the sheriff's office while I was being booked. He told me that we have to show up in court and that I should get an attorney, that this wasn't going to be easy. It would be an understatement to say that my head is spinning. My attorney is out of town on a murder trial, so I'm hoping to get a referral from her office tomorrow.

Any tips about why they wouldn't show me the warrant?

Anthony

[Son of Slam]

Originally posted by tracy358
You can't see any homes, even if you walk into the treeline. A cop shows up ... He takes our information and the handgun ...He claims that the bullet lodged in a screen on the home, the bullet tapped the window, cracking it.
.... Literally, there aren't any homes behind this treeline, only way beyond the treeline at an extreme angle where I didn't shoot and still don't see any homes in that direction from my yard.

There is much documentation of such a bullet used in the assassination of John F. Kennedy. It was called the magic bullet.

>There is much documentation of such a bullet used in the assassination of John F. Kennedy. It was called the magic bullet.<


I doubt if the Warren Commission will be ruling on this case, but it sure seems like the detective is using the same logic. He claims that the bullet must have travelled into the treeline, ricocheted off of several trees and then travelled 45º-90º into the back yard, lodging in the screen.

My guess is, he came to this conclusion because of the bullet hits on the trees, but if you look closely, you can tell that many different types of bullets have been shot into this treeline. Many are still lodged in the trees. Afterall, it is south Georgia and, apparently, that's what these people do for fun.