23 August 2023- A couple IPAs, a lawnmower, and a firearm are all involved in a case of reckless endangerment south of Greencastle that eventually lands a homeowner behind bars. Michael Lee Scott Jr is charged with misdemeanor reckless endangerment, summary public drunkenness, summary disorderly conduct, and summary restrictions on shooting. He’s being held at Franklin County Jail on $10,000 bail.
Pennsylvania State Police were dispatched to the 15200 block of Mercersburg Road in Montgomery Township for a report of a man on a lawn mower yelling and shooting his gun into the ground. When they arrived, the man now known to be Michael Scott was reached by telephone and told to exit his home to speak with police.
Scott was interviewed by Troopers, with him allegedly saying he was mowing his grass and wanted to blow off some steam. In an effort to alleviate stress, he said he decided to “pop off a couple rounds” after he had been drinking a couple Voodoo Ranger IPAs. Scott reportedly told police that “he probably had too much to drink but did not care”. He even showed police the hole he had shot into his tree with his firearm. According to police, though, the tree was directly in line with two occupied houses and a roadway that was observed to have an active flow of traffic.
One of the victims across the street was interviewed by police, with them saying they were in their kitchen when they saw Scott mowing and shooting into the ground. Scott reportedly shot six or seven times until his pistol was empty.
Michael Lee Scott is behind bars on $10,000. His preliminary hearing is set for September 5th.
Sources: Docket Number: MJ-39305-CR-0000147-2023, Incident No.: PA 2023-1095544
