A Banks County man with an extensive criminal history added six new charges to his resume last week, according to the Commerce Police Department.
Tommy Faulkner, 49, 124 Chandler Street, Homer, faces charges of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, illegal discharge of a firearm, speeding, driving under the influence (DUI) of alcohol, driving with a suspended license and driving too fast for conditions.
It all started with the gun, a .22 caliber rifle, according to the arrest report.
Police were called to a report of a man shooting a rifle into the air at a Duncan Circle location, but by the time police arrived, Faulkner had departed. Shortly thereafter, a caller told police that Faulkner was causing problems at a party at West Cordes Place and Woodbine Street.
Two police officers and a Jackson County deputy met in the parking lot of Huck’s Café on Homer Road prior to going to the scene, and suddenly they spotted Faulkner’s vehicle coming up West Cordes Place at approximately 50 miles per hour. The officers gave chase.
The vehicle crossed Homer Road to East Cordes Place, turned onto Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, and stopped in a yard at a vacant residence, where police detained Faulkner before he could exit the vehicle.
Faulkner identified himself, the report said, and officers could detect the smell of alcohol about him and noted glassy eyes and slurred speech. However, Faulkner denied shooting a firearm, which had already been identified as a .22 rifle.
Officers learned from dispatch that Faulkner’s driver’s license was suspended (for failure to pay child support), so they arrested him. They found the rifle in the vehicle’s trunk, along with 162 bullets, the report said.
The report also indicated that Faulkner, who has “numerous felony convictions,” refused the DUI breath test.
For all of the arrests and incidents reported by the Commerce Police Department for the past week, see the July 11 edition of The Commerce News.
