By Jon Johnson
GRAHAM COUNTY – An elderly man was arrested and booked into the Graham County Adult Detention Facility on Nov. 30 after allegedly pointing a loaded handgun at a man for walking his dogs without them being leashed.
Richard Roy Law, 79, was booked on charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and disorderly conduct with a deadly weapon. Law was later formally charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon on Dec. 9 and posted a $5,000 bond.
According to a Graham County Sheriff’s Office report, a deputy was dispatched to the area of the Lebanon Reservoirs near Cactus Road and 20th Avenue south of Safford at about 11:13 a.m. on Nov. 30 regarding a weapons offense.
Upon arrival, the dog walker, identified as Christopher Morris, advised he called the authorities after a man shot at one of his dogs and then pointed a handgun at him in a threatening manner as he berated Morris about walking his dogs unleashed.
Morris advised that he was walking westbound on a dirt road with his three German Shepherd dogs loose without leashes when one of his dogs ran ahead. Morris said he called after his dog and, as he rounded a corner, saw Law shoot one round at his dog and then point the handgun at him. Morris described the weapon as a silver revolver with a black handle and said if he had his own gun on him, he probably would have shot Law.
Morris said the man’s finger was on the gun’s trigger as he pointed it at him, and he feared for his life.
After Law lowered his firearm, he continued walking north, and Morris headed east and called authorities.
Law was located sitting on the porch of his residence off Cholla Street. He allegedly told the investigating deputy that he had been out for his morning walk when a German Shepherd dog ran up to him and barked. He said he brandished his handgun and fired a shot into the air to scare the dog away. Law said he had been bitten by a dog in the past and was afraid of a recurrence.
Law said he then saw Morris with his two other dogs running loose as well and allegedly admitted to pointing his handgun at Morris for roughly one minute as he yelled at him for having his dogs run loose.
Law then led the deputy inside his home to where the handgun was in a holster hanging on a coat rack. The gun seized was listed as a silver revolver with a black handle. One spent cartridge was retrieved from a trash can as well. Law was then arrested and taken into custody.
According to the Sheriff’s Office report, Morris claimed an exemption to the county’s leash law ordinance by saying he was training his dogs to be working dogs, such as those used for livestock herding, and therefore did not require them to be leashed.
However, during the deputies’ interaction walking with Morris and the dogs back from the reservoir area, he observed the dogs running around wherever they wanted, with Morris only calling them back if they got too far away. The deputy requested the Graham County Attorney’s Office review the report and charge Morris with the dog at large ordinance for having his three dogs off their leashes.
