I investigated a July 4th shooting back in the mid 90's. I received a call that the party was shooting off rockets and illegal fireworks, but when I got to the home, I found that they were also firing off shotguns. Just as I pulled into the driveway, a 14 year old boy fired off two rounds of a double barrel 12 gauge shotgun in the air. The dad, who was about half loaded, which is another felony in this state, was also holding a shotgun in one hand and his beer in another. I confiscated the weapons and ammo and wrote subpoenas for them to appear at the District Justice's offices two days later. I could have taken the dad into custody, but he promised to stop the party and go to bed. I drove past the house an hour later and all was quiet and dark.
Two days later at the District Justice's office, he plead guilty and received a suspended 15 day sentence in county and one $200.00 and one $500.00 fine. Very swift justice. Had he plead not guilty, it would have taken months to resolve. Luckily, the DJ reduced the charges to misdemeanors, so he could clear the docket and move on.
