SUMMIT COUNTY, Utah, March 7, 2022 (Gephardt Daily) — A Summit County man has been booked into jail after deputies say he fired a gun while a neighbor walked his dog nearby.
Michael M. Packard, 57, faces charges of:
- Felony discharge of a firearm, a third-degree felony
- Carry a dangerous weapon under the influence of alcohol/drugs, a class B misdemeanor
- Interference with an arresting officer, a class B misdemeanor
- Intoxication, a class C misdemeanor
An officer of the Summit County Sheriff’s Office filed Packard’s probable cause statement.
“On 03/05/2022 at 1953 hours, I responded to Stagecoach Estates. The complainant reported while walking his dog, his neighbor shot a gun at him. The complainant reported he has had problems with Michael Packard for trespassing on his land.
According to the statement, the neighbor said he was walking his dog on the access road that passes in front of Packard’s home when single gunshot rang out. “The complainant was positive that Michael Packard had discharged the gun in his direction to either scare or frighten him,” the statement said.
The arrest
The officer approached Packard’s residence “and observed a recently discharged brass rifle casing on the wooden deck in front of the entry door.”
He took position away from the door, but with a good view of Packard inside his living room, the statement says.
“I was able to signal Packard at which point I observed he was swaying on his feet, and had poor balance. Packard answered the door as a large black dog ran outside. I observed Packard glanced down and observed the brass rifle casing, and immediately reached down to pick up the casing. Packard threw the rifle casing back inside the residence.
“Packard was mad I was on his front porch. When making in person contact with Packard, I could determine he was very intoxicated based on the strong odor of an alcoholic beverage emitting from his person, poor balance, slurred speech. When questioned about discharging a firearm, Packard advised he wanted to speak to his lawyer.”
The officer said probable cause existed to suggest Packard had fired to scare his neighbor, and was intoxicated, thus a danger to himself and others. The officer attempted to cuff Packard, the statement says.
“Packard advised he was not going to jail. After a period of time attempting to communicate with Packard he attempted to reach into or enter his residence. Based on the firearm information I was forced to go hands on, and use-arrest control techniques to place Packard in handcuffs. Packard actively resisted arrest. Incident to arrest, I located a fully
loaded Sig P365 9mm handgun in a holster on his person.”
Packard was transported to Summit County Jail, and “made numerous anti law enforcement statements.”
The suspect was booked without bail.
“The complainant and arrestee live in close proximity,” the officer’s statement says. “The complainant believes he will be shot by Packard when he is intoxicated. Based on statements from Packard, I believe he has numerous firearms available.”
