By Jon Johnson
MOUNT GRAHAM – Enlisted to ask a bachelor party to keep the volume down late at night at Riggs Lake on top of Mount Graham, the campground host – later identified as Greg V. Freese, 65, of Tucson, instead reportedly proceeded to join the party and his following actions led to his arrest and charges of assault, five counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, and seven counts of disorderly conduct with a firearm.
Riggs Lake Campground camp host positions are seasonal, part-time positions with the Forest Service on Mount Graham. The positions involve assisting visitors, maintaining the campground, and providing information and guidance. Hosts are typically required to be available from Memorial Day to Labor Day and have a personal recreational vehicle to reside in. Camp hosts receive a free campsite, and spots on Mount Graham are staffed from May 1 through Sept. 30.
The first call to law enforcement was made at approximately 12:22 a.m. on Saturday, May 3. According to witness accounts to the Graham County Sheriff’s Office, Freese received a complaint about a bachelor party being too loud. Freese then went to the party’s campsite and began drinking alcohol heavily.
A while later, Freese was being escorted back to his camper by a member of the bachelor party group. Still, he was allegedly so intoxicated that he stumbled through another campsite and was told to leave. He then walked past a camp where off-duty Pima County Sheriff’s Office deputies were staying with family members, and an argument ensued regarding Freese’s dog that had allegedly gotten out earlier. The off-duty deputies advised that they had to tie the dog to a tree, which it still was after the brouhaha. The dog was eventually taken by Animal Control the following day, and was given food and water in the meantime.
During the interaction with the off-duty deputies, Freese reportedly became so belligerent that he started to reach for his handgun, which he carried in a hip holster. This caused the man from the bachelor party who was escorting Freese back to his camp to take the gun from him and give it to the off-duty deputies. He then assisted Freese back to his camp and went back to the bachelor party camp.
When Freese got back to his camp, he didn’t sleep it off, however, and instead allegedly retrieved an additional firearm and ammunition and fired at least seven shots in the direction of the campers. Graham County Sheriff’s deputies later recovered seven spent 9mm shell casings where witnesses said they saw Freese fire.
A call to law enforcement was made during the initial encounter, and a second one quickly followed as the victims reported having to flee their camp and take refuge behind large boulders and rocks as they could hear bullets ricocheting around them.
After firing, Freese reportedly returned to his camper.
A large law enforcement contingent responded to the shooting, including four deputies, four Safford Police Department officers, Animal Control, and a Forest Service officer.
The police set up a perimeter around Freese’s campsite and began ordering him to exit.
After more than two hours, around 3 a.m. Freese reportedly began to move out of his camp, yelling unintelligible things at law enforcement. Freese allegedly refused to follow officers’ commands and started walking toward a picnic table while still wearing a holster. A Graham County Sheriff’s Office Sergeant then fired a less-than-lethal 40-mm projectile, which struck Freese in his buttocks and caused him to collapse. He was then taken into custody, and a Taurus 9mm handgun containing an empty magazine and no round in the chamber was taken from Freese’s right coat pocket. However, the holster it was in also included a fully loaded 9mm magazine for the Taurus. Additional ammunition for the other handgun that was previously taken from him and a pocket knife were found in Freese’s pants. Three other rifles and a shotgun – all unloaded – were discovered at Freese’s camp and were also seized.
Freese was taken to Mt. Graham Regional Medical Center, where he was cleared for incarceration and was then taken to the Graham County Adult Detention Facility, where he was booked for aggravated assault and disorderly conduct.
When Freese was interviewed later on that morning, after sobering up, he denied remembering shooting his gun, any altercation, or even getting hit with the less-than-lethal projectile. He described blacking out drunk during the event.
