Man arrested for gunshot noises reported near Mississippi military site
NEW AUGUSTA, Miss. -- Officials say they have arrested the man they believe was making the sounds soldiers at Mississippi's Camp Shelby reported as gunshots Tuesday and Wednesday.
However, Perry County Sheriff Jimmy Dale Smith says Alfred Baria, 61, claims he can make his maroon Isuzu pickup backfire on command. Smith says officials are still questioning Baria about those claims and won't say whether authorities believe Baria was firing a gun or just backfiring.
Either way, Baria has been charged with four misdemeanor counts of disturbing the peace related to the noises. After authorities searched his house and found a rifle and a pistol, he was also charged as a felon illegally possessing guns. Smith says Baria was previously convicted on drug charges.
Smith says Baria will likely be appointed a lawyer Thursday at a bail hearing.
A federal agent said material found in Baria's truck which was pulled over near Camp Shelby was not explosives.
Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms agent Jason Denham told The Associated Press on Wednesday that agents found PVC pipe, caps and other materials but they were not an explosive or destructive device.
The truck was pulled over after soldiers reported gunfire on consecutive days around the same area.
Denham says agents executed a search warrant on the truck driver's home, south of New Augusta, and found a pistol and rifle.
Officials removed a black parcel from the Baria's pickup truck and took it inside the bomb disposal van before the pickup was loaded onto a tow truck Wednesday.
Video from CBS affiliate WHLT in Hattiesburg shows authorities taking a man into custody. A small maroon pickup truck is pulled off the side of the road.
In the video, the driver gets out with his hands raised and backs out toward two armed law enforcement officers. The man lowers himself to his knees, lowers his arms and clasps his hands behind his back. The video ends at that point.
WHLT's Candace Coleman tweeted from the scene:
Here's the suspect being arrested. An unidentified white male drove past media and officers, and a loud pop was heard pic.twitter.com/RsPnRroDju
— Candace S. Coleman (@candacescoleman) August 5, 2015
The man stuck his hand out the window as the pop went off. I thought it was a gunshot, MHP officers say it sounded like the truck backfired
— Candace S. Coleman (@candacescoleman) August 5, 2015
The man is now in custody and has been taken to Perry County SO for questioning in relation to the Camp Shelby drive-by shootings
— Candace S. Coleman (@candacescoleman) August 5, 2015
Officials have pushed media back from the truck "We've found something in the truck and not sure if it's dangerous" pic.twitter.com/6tfDynNbPf
— Candace S. Coleman (@candacescoleman) August 5, 2015
At Camp Shelby, guards at all base entrances were armed under a recent order from Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant, Patterson said. After the second incident, Bryant said in a statement that the shootings underscored why he signed that executive order July 20.
"The Soldiers at Camp Shelby and across the state can and should take appropriate steps to defend themselves as necessary," Bryant said.
The area of the reported shootings is near a checkpoint at the post. Authorities were quick to point out that shooting took place outside the base perimeter.
"This incident occurred along the eastern edge of Camp Shelby. It did not occur on the base," County Sheriff Jimmy Dale Smith said at a news conference.
The large military base south of Hattiesburg is one of the premier training facilities for National Guard troops from across the country and during the height of the Iraq war was often the last stop for National Guard troops training to go to the Middle East.
The base is currently hosting about 4,600 active-duty soldiers, National Guard and reservists from Texas and Mississippi in a summer training exercise.
This summer's training focuses on teaching troops how to operate on the platoon level - generally about 30 soldiers to a group, although that can vary.