A former Shreveport man who beat and chased his wife with a high-powered rifle and then attacked her and a neighbor with the weapon in July 2014, was found guilty of two misdemeanors and a felony Wednesday, September 13, 2017, in Caddo District Court.
It took the six jurors — three women and three men — just over an hour to return guilty verdicts on three charges against Michael Gregory Payne, 40, now of Houston, Texas, in District Judge Brady D. O’Callaghan’s courtroom.
Payne was found guilty of simple battery and simple assault, both misdemeanors, and of felony aggravated assault with a firearm.
The charges stemmed from an incident on July 7, 2014, when Payne beat his then-wife, causing her to suffer a concussion with loss of consciousness after a domestic dispute. He then assaulted her and a neighbor with an SKS semi-automatic rifle after she sought refuge at the neighbor’s home.
Payne will return to court October 18, 2017, for sentencing. On the simple battery conviction, he faces a fine of up to $1,000 and six months in jail. On the simple assault conviction, he faces a fine of up to $200 and 90 days in jail.
On the felony conviction for aggravated assault with a firearm, he faces a fine of up to $10,000 and up to 10 years in prison at hard labor.
Payne was defended by Carl Franklin Jr. Prosecutors were Caddo parish assistant district attorneys Mekisha Smith Creal and Senae D. Hall.