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6:30 a.m. • 2-10-12

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Franklin County family fears gunfire outside


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Joe kent removes bullet from roof franklin county home shot at 1/13/09
Joe kent removes bullet from roof franklin county home shot at 1/13/09

Jackie Kent said she and her family are afraid of the gunfire around their Franklin County home, and authorities can’t do much to help.

Kent said she frequently hears gunshots in the distance from her Westwind Lane home.

“It sounds exactly like a war zone,” Kent said.

Recently, those shots have gotten closer, and one left a bullet hole in her roof.

“We could hear the loud fire of the gun and immediately you would hear this zip going through the air,” Kent said.

Kent’s husband, Joe, removed the bullet.



Deputies have been out to investigate three times.

“They’re upset and I understand that. I was upset when they called me about it,” Franklin County Sheriff Pat Green said.

Kent’s neighbors, who live across a quarter-mile wooded area, often hold target practice. Deputies have asked them not to fire toward Kent’s home. The request is all Green said his deputies can do.

“We cannot prove that these young men were intentionally trying to shoot into the residence. They were target-practicing,” Green said.

Brandon Wiggins, who lives next door to Kent, said he and his friends have never shot toward the home.

“We’re exercising our right to have guns and to use guns in a safe manner,” Wiggins said.

Wiggins said the bullet that went into Kent’s roof didn't come from his property.

The Kents want action to be taken. They filed a misdemeanor charge against Wiggins through the magistrate's office and said they plan to file charges against his two friends.

“Somebody needs to be punished because they obviously were not getting the message of, ‘don’t shoot at us,’” Kent said.

Wiggins said he will fight back.

“I feel like we’re being harassed because every time we go out to shoot, we’re worried cops are going to come up,” Wiggins said.

RELATED TOPICS: Franklin County

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39 Comments


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having been accused lends me to believe someone is just trying to cause a stir.

Consider this, if you were walking down the street and just ahead of you an elderly lady shouts “I’ve been robbed!” and at the same time you see a man running away with a hood over his head….you would obviously suspect him to be the perpetrator. But…come to find out he was simply trying to catch the man who actually robbed the lady. The point: People shouldn’t be accused of something that you cannot prove, it gives them a bad name and you as well.

As stated previously, one thing that everyone needs to keep in mind is that you do not know all the facts. Not having proof and factual evidence quickly provides a flawed premise for your argument and in this case...until the suspect is found guilty... it has caused defamation toward the Wiggins family.

I understand there is concern for shots being heard frequently nearby….I’m sorry, there is simply nothing that can be done at this point….welcome to Franklin County.

For the bullet lodged in the shingle of the house, that is unacceptable. That person being negligent should face the consequences.

I have personally seen the topography of that area and it would be seemingly impossible for a bullet to make it from the Wiggins’ house to Mr. Kent’s house.…..especially a pistol round.

I would agree there is “reason to believe…more likely than not”’ that someone shooting near you has the onus. However, after being investigated three separate times and still not

i said that i would apologize if i stated something and then found out it was wrong, and i am. i have been informed that i'm wrong about the goverenment thing by several people and i'm apologizing for the second time. i am very sorry for any upset feelings and/or emotions that my previous statement caused. best of luck with the resolution of this topic, i'm going to go with my gut and leave it alone since, as its been pointed out, only the involved parties know the entire story.

In this country a person is innocent until proven guilty. The police investigated this matter and found no evidence that the bullet fired came from Mr. Wiggins property.

I'm afraid Mr. Kent is not only attempting to demean an upstanding citizen and a good person but he is also undermining the integrity and ability of the Franklin County police dept.

The type of hatred and bias being displayed by Mr. Kent is dangerous. Instead of attempting to find the real culprit in this crime he has gone after the easiest target.

One thing that is important for everyone to keep in mind is that none of you know all of the facts... You know what you saw in a one minute story on the local news..

I don't think anyone here or anyone in their right mind for that matter would deny that it is unacceptable for bullets to be fired at a home.. Period.. What some of you fail to realize is that there is no proof whatsoever that the bullets are coming from Mr. Wiggins' land.. If there was any proof this would not be on the news as it would have been handled by the local police..

You also need to remember that when all of this took place it was right in the middle of deer season.. In Franklin county.. There are literally thousands of hunters in the woods every day in Franklin county during deer season..

Another important fact is that there are dozens of other pieces of property this bullet could have come from..

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