SUNBRIGHT, Tenn — Repairs are happening at the MoCo Mutts Rescue Center after a man shot at the building while looking for his dog. The Morgan County Sheriff's Office said this happened Monday afternoon.
Morgan County deputies say they got a call about a man with a gun trying to break into the animal rescue. Once they got there, deputies say they found Randy Ray Roberts inside and realized he had shot his gun outside the building.
"My business partner and co-founder Lisa Hill was here," said Tracy Wyant, vice president of MoCo Mutts. "She was actually taking her groceries out of our work vehicle, putting them in her personal vehicle. When an individual pulled up next to our building, to my far left, and he walked to the backyard, which is our outdoor area for the animals. We do not house any animals outside, when we are close, everybody is under lock and key. And she asked the individual if she could help and he said that we had his animal."
Wyant said Hill was the only employee in the building at the time.
She said Hill offered to let Roberts see if his animal was there, but she needed to get another employee on site first.
"Unfortunately, the individual did not like that answer, and became upset and started waving a firearm and asking if this would make her open the door any faster, which it did not," said Wyant. "So she took cover over behind our work vehicle, and she advised that she was going to call 911 and that did not slow him down. He stood here halfway down the ramp and started shooting at our steel entrance door, which if you get closer you can see the damage to the lock. The door is also damaged. And when he emptied out his magazine into the door, which he couldn't get in. He then went to the window which you see was boarded up, and he broke out that window with his gun and entered our building."
Wyant said Hill and the animals were not harmed.
The Morgan County Sheriff's Office said Roberts had injuries from entering and exiting the building that required medical attention. Three deputies also received superficial injuries.
Roberts is charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, burglary, vandalism, reckless endangerment, resisting arrest, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a dangerous felony.
Wyant added the rescue staff did not know Roberts or have his dog.
"After about an hour and a half we were able to get into the building to start clean up and our husbands came in and boarded up the front window to secure the building," said Wyant.
Wyant said the gunshots made the door unusable and the window was completely broken, but should be fixed soon.
She said the center is a non-profit so they're always fundraising for the needs of the animals and the building. This included the repairs that will need to be done after this incident.
Wyant said donations are accepted online, by mail, and in-person at the rescue. The address to mail donations is PO Box 127 Sunbright, TN 37872. The animal rescue is located at 7920 Morgan County Highway in Sunbright.