Slingshot-Firing County Employee Pleads Guilty to Shooting at Cars
Randolph man also admitted to having BB gun without a permit, authorities say.
A 19-year employee of Morris County pleaded guilty to third-degree weapon possession charges Tuesday after he had a BB handgun and used a slingshot to fire at passing vehicles, according to Acting Morris County Prosecutor Fredric Knapp.
Lawrence Ball, 55, of Randolph, did not have a legal permit for the BB gun, Knapp said.
Ball was arrested on September 13, 2010 on several counts of possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose after authorities reported he had been firing the weapons at passing cars.
Ball could be sentenced to probationary supervision for five years, as the state is planning to recommend, Knapp said, and be forced to undergo psychiatric and psychological treatment and have no contact with weapons.
Additionally, Ball will be forced to forfeit all public employment if the state's recommendations are carried out.
The state was represented by Assistant Prosecutor Brian DiGiacomo in the plea agreement and the Hon. Mary Gibbons Whipple presided.
Ball is out of jail on bail and scheduled for sentencing on April 19.
Knapp thanked Police Chief Robert Mason of the Randolph Police Department, Police Chief Scott Thompson and the Morris Plains Police Department, Police Chief John McGuinness and the Morris Township Police Department and the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office General Investigations Unit for assisting with the investigation.
Liberty
12:21 pm on Thursday, March 14, 2013
Sept. 13, 2010?
Al Rooney
12:38 pm on Thursday, March 14, 2013
Probably not because he pleaded guilty. By doing that he didn't have to go through the grand jury process to get indicted, and then go onto a petite jury trial at a later date. Some cases do take years to go to trial.
Chris
3:51 pm on Thursday, March 14, 2013
Wait.. you need a permit for a BB gun???
FourScore
5:23 pm on Thursday, March 14, 2013
Yup.
Kenny J.
12:54 pm on Friday, March 15, 2013
What don't you need a permit for in NJ? You even need a permit to have a garage sale! Laughable and pathetic.
David
6:51 pm on Friday, March 15, 2013
Legally, you absolutely DO NOT NEED A PERMIT to own a BB gun or even any type of real firearm. The Firearm Owners Identification Card (FOID) is only needed to BUY a gun, not OWN one. Despite this, authorities in the state have long seemed to require a FOID card to be in possession of any time of gun.
(I am not a lawyer).
Bubo
7:54 pm on Friday, March 15, 2013
You need a FOID and a Permit before you can buy a handgun in NJ. You have to have a FOID to be able to get a Permit, unless you apply for both at the same time. Permits are good for one and only one handgun purchase and are valid for 90 days. They can be extended for another 90 days by your local police chief for good cause. And even with both in hand you still are going to have to go through an FBI NICS background sale if you go to a licensed firearms dealer. Despite the fact the I is for "Instant" there are so many people buying weapons the FBI lines are all jammed up and you may not be able to "buy" your handgun the day you go to the store. That is because until the background check comes back clear no licensed dealer is going to sell you a handgun, or take a deposit on it, or hold it against a credit card. We are not talking about buying handtools at Lowes.
Mrs. Smith
6:55 am on Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Is this article about a 19 year old who recently shot a BB gun and slingshot at vehicles, or about a 55 year old man who didn't have a permit in Sept 2012? Very confusing.
Chris
9:04 am on Wednesday, March 20, 2013
I had to re-read, too. the 55 y/o employee has worked for the County for 19 years.
But I can see how its misleading. I can def see a stupid 19 y/o kid doing something like this, but a 55 y/o man? Come on. What was he thinking?