Stephen Harness (Photo courtesy of Baxter County Sheriff’s Office)
A Searcy County man has been arrested for shooting at a liquor store in Baxter County when the clerk wouldn’t sell him Fireball Whiskey because he was drunk. Fifty-one-year-old Stephen Shane Harness of Leslie is charged with a felony count of unlawful discharge of a firearm from a roadway in the second degree.
According to the probable cause affidavit, the Baxter County Sheriff’s Office was called to the Junction Liquor Store in Big Flat April 19 following the shooting. The store employee told the deputy Harness was trying to buy the Fireball Whiskey, but he would not sell it to him because he was already impaired. Harness left, came back, tried to buy the liquor again, but again was denied.
The employee said after Harness left, he looked outside and Harness had a gun outside of his vehicle as he left the parking lot. Then drove by the store again and fired two or three shots and left, headed towards Searcy County.
A second witness corroborated the story. Both witnesses know Harness and were able to identify him.
A gas station across the street had video surveillance that showed the incident.
Searcy County deputies made a traffic stop on the vehicle Harness was driving in the Harriet area where he was arrested for driving while intoxicated. The results of the portable breath test showed his blood alcohol content was .30, nearly four times the legal limit of .08. The deputy recovered several guns in the truck, including a .12-gauge shotgun believed to be the gun fired at the liquor store.
Harness is free on $5,000 bond.
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