Staff Reports
CIRCLEVILLE – A local man is in custody after firing a starter pistol outside the Duke and Duchess gas station early Sunday morning.
Trevor Winfield, 19, of Circleville, is charged with carrying a concealed weapon, a fourth-degree felony; discharging a firearm upon or over a public roadway, a first-degree misdemeanor; and inducing panic, also a first-degree misdemeanor. He also is being held on a probation violation in the Pickaway County Jail.
According to reports, Officer Robert Morningstar, Circleville Police Department, witnessed Winfield discharge a firearm in the parking lot of Duke and Duchess about 2:34 a.m. Sunday. Upon taking Winfield into custody, Morningstar determined Winfield had been in a physical altercation with an unknown subject and retrieved the handgun from a vehicle, firing several shots into the air.
The gun was found to be a starter pistol that fired blanks.
During the incident, patrons in the gas station reacted, some by running and others attempting to barricade the doors of the business, which led to the inducing panic charge.
Winfield is expected to be arraigned Monday at an initial hearing in Circleville Municipal Court.
This article originally appeared on The Pickaway News Journal
