Law enforcement came up empty-handed after spending part of the day Thursday searching for a gun used in a recent shooting in Habersham County.
The Georgia State Patrol dive team assisted Habersham County Sheriff’s investigators and the county’s emergency response team in their search. “[They] did not locate the weapon,” says Habersham Sheriff’s Lt. Matthew Wurtz.
Authorities conducted the search in the area near the bridge on Highway 115 at the Habersham/White County line. The shooting happened on January 18 in the dirt parking lot at the river entry point adjacent to the bridge.
Two people were arrested and charged in connection with the crime. Cameron Wiley, 19, of Helen was arrested the day after the shooting and charged with aggravated assault and a felony weapons charge. Online jail records show that as of January 28 he remained in jail on a $33,200 bond.
Drake Free, 20, of Cornelia, was arrested on January 21 and charged with a wide range of offenses including robbery, interference with government property, and littering.
Investigators interviewed Free at Habersham Medical Center where he was being treated for a gunshot wound to the arm. He told them he arranged through social media to meet Wiley to sell him a cellphone. Investigators later determined that the actual facts surrounding the incident were not related to the purchase of a phone but rather a scheme to deceive and steal money.
