Lawyer Accused of Pointing a Handgun at Rowdy Revelers During Boat Party
A West Virginia lawyer was arraigned on six misdemeanor counts on Wednesday based on allegations he pointed a gun at rowdy party-goers.
Michael Shawn Santa Barbara, 52, of Martinsburg is charged with five counts of brandishing a deadly weapon and one count of battery, report the Herald-Mail and the Journal.
Santa Barbara reportedly told police he went to a party at a boat dock because people in the neighborhood were upset by the noise, according to the Herald Mail. Santa Barbara indicated he was surrounded by a group of people when he arrived, and he ordered everyone into a pavilion at the dock because he was afraid he would be jumped, according to an account by a state trooper. Santa Barbara told the officer he shoved a woman who approached him screaming and cursing.
Witnesses alleged Santa Barbara threatened to shoot them if they tried anything stupid, and struck a woman with a flashlight or a gun.
