A Stroud man faces two felony charges following his arrest by officers after he reportedly had fired a gun out of a moving vehicle.
John Leonard Cushing II, 21, 503 W. 1st in Stroud, was formally charged Jan. 22 in Lincoln County of use of a vehicle in discharge of a weapon and distribution of controlled dangerous substance including possession with intent to distribute.
His initial appearance was Monday, Jan. 25, before Associate District Judge Sheila Kirk. Cushing was ordered to reappear with his attorney at 1 p.m. on March 8, court records show.
A $4,000 bond was set for Cushing. Cushing was arrested by Stroud Police Officer Wade Martin on Dec. 19 after he, Lincoln County deputies and Sac and Fox officers responded to a call that shots were fired at the Williams Express Convenience Store in Stroud around 8 p.m. that evening, a probable cause affidavit states.
Martin reported that when he arrived on the scene, several Lincoln County deputies and Sac and Fox officers were there holding one male at gunpoint, who later was identified as Cushing.
Deputy Kevin Roe advised Martin he had Cushing detained beside his unit after Deputy Jimmy Brown told Martin that he was eating supper and someone came running up to him saying that someone inside a car had shot at them.
Martin said Cushing told him he had purchased a PlayStation 4 from someone who had just come to his house and had taken the PlayStation back.
According to the affidavit, Cushing admitted he had a gun with him when this happened but he never fired it.
Martin then spoke with a woman who advised she was the one Cushing had shot at and she further told the officer Cushing had the firearm out the window and fired the weapon.
She said she heard the gunshot and witnessed the muzzle flash.
Martin asked the woman if an officer went with her if she could take him to the place where the shell casing may be and she said she could.
Sac and Fox Officer Shawn Stewart told Martin he had located the firearm inside the vehicle, that it was magazine loaded but there was not a round in the chamber.
Martin reported that the on-duty clerk at Williams Express approached him and told the officer Cushing had given her a small bag and told her to hang on to it because “the cops were about to come,” the affidavit states.
Martin said he noticed a large amount of a crystal like substance that later field tested positive for fentanyl and methamphetamine.
Cushing was transported to the Lincoln County Jail by Deputy Roe. Later, upon taking inventory of all items seized, Martin said the initial weights of the crystal like substance were 23.09 grams, 23.36 grams, and 23.75 grams including the packaging of the three small baggies.
He further advised there were 25 pills that were identified as Suboxone, 3 Xanax pills and 6 pills identified as Hydrocodone.