Man Wouldn't Give Up Gun, Is Arrested

A rural Wilkesboro man faces several charges, after deputies say he was belligerent to them and to dispatchers. Barney Brown was arrested at his home Saturday afternoon. Deputies say he appeared intoxicated, but did no tests to prove their suspicions, because Brown would not cooperate. They were originally called by another person in the house, who said there was a disturbance going on at the time they called 9-1-1. Dispatchers said Brown took the phone from that person and started to get abusive with them during the call. When deputies arrived, they found Brown sitting down, with a rifle next to him. A deputy picked up the rifle to check it for any ammunition, and after making sure it was unloaded, gave it to another deputy.

One of the deputies apparently had knowledge that Brown had been convicted of a felony at an earlier date, and went about confirming that to be the case. During the conversation, Brown told the deputies they were not taking his gun away. Finally, they had enough, and arrested him for delaying an officer doing his job. Brown started fighting with the deputies, and after a short struggle, was handcuffed and carted off to jail. He's charged with the original disturbance, with possessing a gun after a felony conviction, and with obstructing the deputies form doing their job.