Brandon G. Anderson, 40, Greenfield, was arrested Tuesday evening on gun charges after a shooting incident.
GREENFIELD — A local man with a violent criminal past is in custody after firing a gun into a lake Tuesday night, scaring neighbors.
Brandon G. Anderson, 40, 700 block of Pratt Street, was taken into custody by officials from the Greenfield Police Department around 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 24 after police responded to a call of shots fired.
The case was opened against Anderson Wednesday in Hancock County Superior Court 1. Anderson has been charged with a Level 4 felony count of unlawful possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon and a Level 6 felony count criminal recklessness committed with a deadly weapon. The most serious charge against Anderson carries up to 12 years in prison.
According to a probable cause, officials with the GPD were called to the 700 block of White Brook Trailer Park because of the shots fired. The report states Anderson was waiting for law enforcement and told them he was unsure why they were there.
When asked if he had fired shots into a nearby Lake, Anderson first denied shooting a gun, officials said in the report. He did, however, later admit he had fired a gun at the lake and there was a .22 caliber firearm in his residence. Anderson told officers he was showing the gun to kids when he fired the gun into the lake, the report stated.
Officials did a background check on Anderson and found he had a previous conviction of battery with a deadly weapon in the county in 2016 that qualified Anderson as a serious violent felon under Indiana law.
Officers noted in the report the trailer park where the incident occurred had multiple people and vehicles outside when officers arrived. Officials also noted the trailers where the incident occurred are only separated by a short distance and there was no backstop where the weapon was fired, the report stated.
Deputy Chief Chuck McMichael told the Daily Reporter these are the types of calls that are difficult to get a resolution to without help from the public.
“We get calls of this nature from time to time but when people don’t provide info, our hands are tied,” McMichael said. “This caller was great and gave a lot of details which led to the arrest and got this dangerous person off the street.”
McMichael noted it’s never safe to shoot at or into the water.
A further search of Anderson’s past court records show he has a lengthy criminal history with over 20 different criminal cases filed against him in the county, including a 2019 charge of dealing meth.
