Throw down at the fairground

The Ladies Building at Union County Fairgrounds was rented out Saturday night, February 27th, and was the venue for a party that got out of hand.

About 200 people gathered for a what was apparently a birthday party. They mostly behaved and had a good time, but a few drank more alcohol than they could handle. There were some scuffles, a handgun was fired, and a couple of the revelers were arrested.

New Albany Police Chief Chris Robertson said the first call to his department came about 10:30  p.m., and a New Albany Police Department (NAPD) unit was dispatched to the scene at that time. A nearby resident had complained that a motorist was “spinning their tires” and “making a lot of noise” on the streets in the neighborhood. There was also apparently some vandalism to an automobile.

The situation was apparently calmed down, but NAPD officers continued to monitor the scene.

The tempo of the gathering escalated and nearly got out of hand shortly after midnight. A NAPD officer at the scene called for back-up at about 12:30 a.m. Sunday morning. Other city officers responded, as did units from the Union County Sheriff’s Office.

A fight or fights, broke out, and Daniel Jones pulled out a handgun and fired a shot into the air. Jones was arrested and charged with discharging a firearm within the city limits. Jones was also booked into the Union County Jail for disorderly conduct and public intoxication.

Another man at the scene, Don A. Gilbert, was arrested and charged with public intoxication, disorderly conduct and failure to obey a police officer.

Robertson said officers from his department and those from Sheriff Jimmy Edwards’s office were able to disperse the crowd. There were no more shots fired and Robertson said there had been no serious injuries.