A 26-year-old Caledonia man was charged Tuesday with firing several shots at three people on Oct. 24 after an argument at the Elks Lodge club.
Rafael R. Payne, 26, of 964 Anderson Grove Road, punched a woman in the mouth at about 1:30 a.m. Oct. 24 at the club at 916 16th St. N., said Columbus Police Public Information Officer Terrie Songer. He knew the woman, Songer said.
After declining transportation to the hospital, the woman went to a residence in the 1100 block of Eighth Street North.
Payne entered a field across from the residence and fired several shots in the direction of the woman and two others with her, Songer said. He then ran across the field, firing several more shots before entering a wooded area.
Payne was identified by several witnesses at the scene but was not taken into custody until Tuesday, when he was arrested at the intersection of 23rd Street South and Bell Avenue.
The defendant was charged with aggravated assault with a weapon, two counts of aggravated assault while manifesting extreme indifference and simple assault.
He has a long history of run-ins with the police, including several felony convictions for aggravated assault, among other charges, Songer said.
The Lowndes County Sheriff”s Office also reported the following felony arrests for Nov. 10 through Nov. 16:
· Dorothy J. Brown, 51, of 618 13th St. N. Apt. A., was arrested Monday on Burns Circle by sheriff”s deputies. She was charged with two counts of grand larceny of more than $500 after taking about $4,000 in jewelry from a house in the 100 block of Spring Garden Drive.
· Eugene L. Steward, 24, of 315 Jimmy Phillips Road in Crawford, was arrested Saturday by Columbus police officers at Fifth Street and 13th Avenue S. He was charged with contempt of court and possession of cocaine.
· Eugene Robinson, 58, of 222 Third Ave. N., was arrested Friday by Columbus police at Second Avenue North and Third Street North. He was charged with possession of cocaine.
· D”Andre A. Tate, 28, of 677 Yorkville Road Apt. B2, was arrested Friday by Columbus police at 619 14th St. N. He was charged with gambling and sale of cocaine.
· Joe M. Taylor II, 27, of 450 Summer Haven Drive, was arrested by sheriff”s deputies for failure to register as a sex offender.
· Courtney T. Lowe, 21, of 422 Land Road, was arrested Nov. 10 by Columbus police at Bluecutt Road and Highway 45 North. He was charged with possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute.
· Donnie Y. Harris, 20, of 405 10th St. N. Apt. C, was arrested Nov. 10 by Columbus police and charged with grand larceny of more than $500.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 32 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.