Warren County man arrested for shooting into occupied dwelling

Frederick County deputies responded to reports of shots fired on Jan. 1, 2018 in the 100 block of Star Tannery Road.

FREDERICK COUNTY, VA – A Warren County man was arrested and charged with reckless handling of a firearm and shooting into an occupied dwelling following an incident just past midnight on New Years Day.

Captain Aleck Beeman, a spokesman for the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office says Michael Priola, 26, of Browntown, was arrested and charged after admitting to firing “around five shots from a .40 caliber pistol.”

Deputies responded to a 12:03 a.m.  call in the 100 block of Star Tannery Road for a report of shots fired into a residence.

The victim reported to deputies that neighbors across the street had been firing guns at midnight, after which he found a bullet lying on his kitchen floor.  The bullet, Captain Beeman said,  had apparently entered the wall, come through the kitchen cabinet and fallen onto the floor.

Deputies then questioned the neighbors, who stated that during a New Year’s Eve gathering,  a guest had gone outside and fired several shots from a pistol.  Michael Priola, a Warren County resident, stated that he had fired around five shots from a .40 caliber pistol.  He was arrested and charged with reckless handling of a firearm and shooting into an occupied dwelling.

Priola was held at the Northwestern Regional Adult Detention Center until sober and then was released on a $5000 unsecured bond.