Man acquitted of drive-by

EPHRATA - A Warden man accused of chasing three men and shooting at them was found not guilty of a majority of the charges.

A Grant County Superior Court jury found Jack E. Thompson, 56, guilty of reckless endangerment, according to court records. They found him not guilty of three counts of assault in the first degree, drive-by shooting and unlawful possession of a firearm in the second degree.

Grant County Superior Court Judge John Knodell sentenced Thompson to 364 days in jail with 28 days suspended for two years.

Thompson reportedly threatened one of the victims with a bat and attempted to run him down a few days prior to the incident, according to the Warden police report. The men, three brothers, spotted Thompson driving near Tires West, and tried speaking to him near South County Road and Weaver Road.

When they stopped next to Thompson's truck to speak to him, he reached into his waistband like he was pulling out a gun, according to the police report. One of the victims threw a wrench at Thompson, and they drove away.

Thompson began chasing the three men down Eighth Street and Jackson Avenue, ramming into the victim's vehicle, according to the police report. The men were attempting to turn left when Thompson rammed into the back of the SUV, causing one of the tires to pop.

Thompson pulled out a gun and fired twice as the victims fled the scene on foot, according to the police report.

Investigators found a .40 caliber casing at the scene and the same caliber casing in Thompson's truck when they located it, according to the police report.

Thompson was an active gang member at the time of the incident, according to the police report. It was not reported whether the cause of the incident was gang related.