Dustin Vandegrift Habersham County Georgia father tracks teen daughter location, shoots boy he found her with, faces series of charges.
He just wanted to make sure she was all right … A Georgia father is facing charges after tracking his teen daughter’s cell phone to a church and allegedly firing a gun at a 17 year old boy along with assaulting the teen she was fighting with.
The Habersham County Sheriff’s Office said that witnesses reported the sound of a gunshot and a young man and woman fighting. When deputies arrived, they found 36-year-old Dustin Vandegrift trying to leave the scene in a Chevy Camaro. He was detained for questioning.
Fearing a possible school shooting, Grade Academy and Habersham Central High School–went in to lockdown. There were no reports of any injuries according to the sheriff’s department.
Vandergrift told investigators that he tracked his daughter’s cell phone to the back of the church and decided to check on her. He confronted the teens and physically attacked the boy before pulling out a gun.
The young woman told deputies that her father appeared behind the church, battered the boy she was with and then shot at him. She said her father then hit her.
Gun recovered inside dad’s car
Investigators initially thought the boy was shot, but later determined the injuries he sustained were from the physical assault and debris ricochet.
Vandergrift upon his arrest was charged with aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, cruelty to children, reckless endangerment and simple battery.
The sheriff’s office searched Vandergrift’s vehicle and recovered a gun.
The Sheriff’s Office said that there is no danger to the public and that the investigation is ongoing.
Vandergrift remains at Habersham County Jail with no bond.