South Austin Teen Jailed For Threatening Landscapers With Gun For Waking Him

SOUTH AUSTIN, TX -- As of Wednesday afternoon, a teenager was behind bars after threatening landscapers with a shotgun after they woke him with the noise of the yard work duties.

Richard Finnell, 17, was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon on Monday, according to an arrest affidavit cited by the Austin American-Statesman in a report. Police arrested the teenager and seized his firearm after arriving at the scene in the 7900 block of Manassas Drive at 11 a.m., the Statesman reported.

A landscaper was loading tree branches into a trailer when Finnell approached him while pointing his black Mossberg 500-12GA shotgun, according to the affidavit. While wielding the weapon, Finnell shouted at the workers to be quiet.

The frightened landscaper went to get his boss, but Finnell shouted at him as well while placing a round in the chamber of the shotgun, the newspaper reported.

Finnell explained to police the workers' noise had interrupted his sleep three times that morning.

That wasn't a good excuse for his actions, however. He was booked into the Travis County Jail for the assault charge on a bail of $60,000. There were no reports as to whether Finnell was able to catch up on his sleep behind bars.

Read the full story at the Austin American-Statesman >>