Bay City man “fires off” at overly affectionate roommates
Loneliness is no fun, and being single when you’re surrounded by lovers can be a very depressing experience. But being unhappy about your relationship status and attempting to punish the love birds around you are two very different kettles of fish, as one single Bay City man recently discovered, when he took out his frustrations at his overly amorous roommates in a rather unconventional way.
Edward P. Meyers, a 68-year-old Bay City resident decided recently that he had had enough. His two roommates, 34-year-old Meleney Herbert and 47-year-old Melvin L. Pully Jr. were altogether too “lovey dovey” for his taste, and he needed to put an end to the situation.
Unfortunately, however, his method of choice was to intimidate the couple by firing a gun inside the house they shared. Meyers apparently pulled a 22-caliber handgun out of his robe pocket in the morning while sharing coffee with Pully. He then proceeded to fire a round into the kitchen wall while complaining about the nature of their overly affectionate relationship.
Herbert, who had also apparently had an earlier tongue lashing from Meyers, called 911 and reported the incident. Just before 11am police responded, arriving and setting up a perimeter around the home. Shortly after their arrival, Herbert and Pully came out of the house.
A police sergeant called Meyers on the phone and was able to convince him to come out and surrender himself without a fight. He then took the officers back inside and showed them the bullet hole in the kitchen wall and gave up his gun, still containing live rounds, to police.
Meyers apparently also told the arresting officers that he had no idea that it was illegal to fire a weapon within the confines of one’s own home, and felt that he hadn’t committed any crimes, in particular because he wasn’t pointing it at anyone at the time that he pulled the trigger. It had been done, he said, simply to emphasize a point.
However, as he was led away, Meyers told the officers that if Herbert and Pully were still living in the house when he got out of jail, the police would “really have something to respond to next time.” Â When an officer asked him if that was a threat, Meyers told him that he could take the statement in any way that he chose to.
At his arraignment, Meyers was charged with a single count of discharging a firearm at or in a building, which is a four-year felony under Michigan law, and also a single count of felony firearm, which under state law carries a mandatory minimum sentence of two years which must be served consecutively.
So if Edward Meyers is actually convicted of either of these crimes, Herbert and Pully have a few years to remain amorous in the home they shared with Meyer before having to worry about his return.
Meyers is scheduled to appear before Bay County District Judge Timothy J. Kelly for his preliminary examination at 9 am on Thursday, January 15th.