A Fulton County woman, 57-year-old Lois E. Earley of Mammoth Spring, charged following an alleged drive-by shooting in Thayer, is now facing one count of second-degree sexual abuse. The West Plains Daily Quill reports the latest charge follows a 17-year-old boy telling police Earley touched him in a sexual manner the night of the shooting.
Earley was charged with her grandson, 17-year-old Hunter Cole Gazaway, also of Mammoth Spring, in connection with the April 21 drive-by shooting. She is alleged to have convinced her grandson to shoot at an SUV she thought was being driven by a man she accused of keying her car and scratching an obscenity in the paint
Earley has been held in the Thayer city jail in Oregon County since April 24, according to court records. Records also show she made a video appearance May 4 from the jail for a bond reduction hearing. The reduction was denied.
On April 23, a statement was submitted to police from a teen alleging, on the evening of the drive-by shooting, Earley had been drinking and smoking methamphetamine with another woman. The youth says Earley began touching him that evening, even after he asked and told her to stop, and that she did it on about three other occasions before he filed charges.
The same night, Earley reportedly convinced her grandson to shoot at the SUV from their vehicle, as they traveled on Morning Side Drive in Thayer.
Each of them is charged with unlawful use of a weapon by shooting from a motor vehicle at another motor vehicle, first-degree assault or attempted assault and armed criminal action.
Earley also faces two counts of abuse or neglect of a child for reportedly involving the teen in the incident and exposing another juvenile in their vehicle to risk of harm. All of the charges are felonies.
Documents submitted to prosecutors show the victim who reported the sexual abuse and the youth in the vehicle at the time of the alleged shooting have the same initials and are the same age.
During the investigation Oregon County Sheriff’s Deputy James Martin was contacted by Mammoth Spring Police Chief Mike Davis, advising he had five individuals in custody, including Earley and Gazaway. Davis confiscated a firearm allegedly used during the drive-by incident, and when Gazaway was interviewed by Martin, he reportedly said it was his gun, and he had done the shooting.
He said Earley had been “coercing them” earlier that day by driving by their house and yelling and had been drinking before she “yelled” at him to shoot the vehicle.
He shot more than 10 rounds toward the tires and bumper of the SUV before it sped off, he reportedly told Martin during an investigative interview.
That version of events was corroborated by the driver of the vehicle Gazaway was riding in and two other passengers, including the other minor in the vehicle, according to Martin.
Court records show Gazaway waived a bond hearing set for May 4 and continues to be held without bond.
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