RABUN COUNTY, Ga. — Charges have been dropped against a Fayetteville man who was accused of firing multiple gunshots outside a Lake Burton home during an early morning altercation involving several actors.
Christian Caleb Fortune, 33, was arrested after deputies responded around 2 a.m. on May 8 to a home in the 300 block of Finch Drive following reports of gunfire.
Fortune had originally been charged with two counts of aggravated assault with a weapon, discharging a firearm while under the influence of alcohol or drugs, and disorderly conduct. Authorities said the aggravated assault charges stemmed from allegations that two people inside the home feared for their safety during the incident.
Verbal altercation
Rabun County Sheriff Chad Nichols previously said deputies arrived to find Fortune outside the residence with a handgun. Investigators said deputies spoke with Ryan Ochoa and Katrina Stuart, who told authorities the group had been involved in a verbal altercation related to issues in the movie industry.
According to investigators, Ochoa and Stuart said Fortune was intoxicated, became aggressive, displayed a firearm and later went outside, where he allegedly fired multiple shots near the home.
Investigators said deputies recovered nine spent 9mm shell casings from the front of the property and located a Beretta handgun inside a vehicle. Authorities also alleged Fortune concealed the weapon before deputies arrived.
No injuries were reported.
Case dismissed
According to court documents, Fortune is alleged to have discharged a firearm outside the residence while the other two people were inside. However, the warrant states he was not accused of aiming the weapon into the house.
“The court determined there is not sufficient legal basis for the aggravated assault charges,” the dismissal states.
Regarding the misdemeanor charges, the state noted that the accused and the alleged victims all live out of state and “do not have reason to continue contact with each other.”
“The state will not proceed further,” the document states.
Rabun County Sheriff’s Investigator Kevin Angell said the situation could have ended much worse.
“It’s never ok to mishandle a firearm, especially in the presence of others and certainly not while you’re intoxicated,” he said at the time of the arrest.
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