ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. — A man from Pasquotank County, North Carolina, was arrested after reports of him recklessly firing his gun on his property, followed by a vehicle chase and days of surveillance, deputies said.
Randall Kyle Hewitt was taken into custody Thursday around 10 a.m. in what the Pasquotank County Sheriff’s Office described as a "high-risk" warrant. He faces several charges, including misdemeanor reckless discharge of a firearm, felony count of fleeing to elude with a motor vehicle, and felony possession of marijuana with intent to sell or deliver.
According to the Pasquotank County Sheriff’s Office, the investigation into Hewitt began Feb. 1 when deputies responded to the 100 block of North Banks Road, outside of Elizabeth City, on reports that he was firing his weapon on his property.
"This incident caused fear in nearby neighbors and children who were playing outside to run into their homes," the sheriff's office wrote in a news release Thursday. "Neighbors reported that this type of behavior was not uncommon for Hewitt."
Deputies responded to the same place again on March 18 for threatening statements and on March 21 after further reports of Hewitt firing his weapon "in a reckless manner." The sheriff's office said they then obtained a warrant for the reckless discharge of a firearm.
On March 22, deputies pulled Hewitt over in his Ford truck, but according to the sheriff's office, he fled after being told of the active warrant for him. The sheriff's office said deputies chased Hewitt but stopped due to him driving fast and recklessly. They later went to his residence on Northbanks Road, where he was seen getting out of his vehicle and running inside.
According to the sheriff's office, deputies didn't approach Hewitt "in an attempt to de-escalate the situation," but they did obtain a warrant for him fleeing.
"Through the course of the investigation of Hewitt, numerous witnesses reported concerns about Hewitt’s behavior and mental well-being," the sheriff's office wrote. "It was also reported that Hewitt owns multiple firearms and that he has been observed frequently carrying at least one firearm on his person."
The sheriff's office said they deemed Hewitt a danger to the community "based on the totality of the previous incidents and information reported to law enforcement by witnesses." Deputies switched gears by surveilling his house from March 22 to Thursday to "strategically take Hewitt into custody in a manner that would reduce potential threats to life and property."
During that time, the sheriff's office says Hewitt didn't leave his residence and at one point sat on his front porch holding an "AR-15 style rifle as if he was waiting for law enforcement to respond."
Once Hewitt was taken into custody, he was taken to the Sentara Albemarle Medical Center to be looked at and released. He was then transported to the sheriff's office and taken before a judge. He is being held at the Albemarle District Jail under a $250,000 bond.
The sheriff's office said deputies recovered several guns and drugs while doing a search warrant at Hewitt's residence, including an AR-15 gun, nine fully loaded AR-15 magazines, a Remington 870 shotgun, and a pound of marijuana.