Athens-Clarke County police charge Winterville man with hiding gun used in road rage

An Athens man attempted to hide a gun from police following a road rage incident that began off Lexington Road, according to Athens-Clarke police.

The incident occurred about 2:35 p.m. April 9 at the Cherokee Road intersection, where a 57-year-old Athens man reported that a man driving a Dodge Ram pickup pulled a firearm on him during the road rage.

Police received a 911 call where the victim said someone cut him off, then pulled a pistol on him. Police reported that during the call the dispatcher could hear the men yelling at each other.

Police received a lookout for the pickup and a responding officer saw it on Cherokee Road and located where it had already parked at a residence, according to the report.

The suspect, a 43-year-old Winterville man, told the officer he didn’t own a gun, but he offered that during the incident he accidentally cut off the other vehicle and that the other motorist followed him aggressively, which resulted in a verbal argument using fight provoking words.

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When police searched the Ram, they located a gun magazine loaded with .40-caliber ammunition, according to the report.

The report indicates the officer was suspicious of the man’s denial of having a gun, so he called a K-9 until to search the roadsides. The officer continued to question the suspect, who finally relented that he hid the pistol under a nearby bush, where police reported it was recovered.

The man denied pointing the gun at the other driver, saying he only “flashed” it.

The suspect was charged with misdemeanor offenses including tampering with evidence and aggressive driving, but he remained in jail Monday due not having a bond for a misdemeanor probation violation charge.

This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Athens crime: Winterville man charged with hiding gun after road rage