A man sitting in a chair along the Catawba River near Marion allegedly waved a gun and cursed at people floating by, including children who were left in fear for their safety, according to an arrest warrant. Deputies say 44-year-old Joseph Dale Vetter was armed with two firearms and had an empty liquor bottle beside him when a deputy responded to the scene. He was arrested on felony weapons charges and, according to court records, posted a $50,000 bond and was released just 59 minutes later.
The confrontation unfolded at Mad Momma's Mudsling, a spot along the Catawba River in McDowell County, according to Catawba Valley News & Weather, which reported that Deputy Chris Dvorak responded after receiving emergency reports of an armed man shouting at floaters. Marion sits roughly a 95-mile drive northwest of uptown Charlotte, and the stretch of river where the incident occurred is a popular summer destination for family tubing and kayaking, according to Destination McDowell, which notes the Upper Catawba flows past public access points like Catawba River Park and the Joseph McDowell Greenway on its way toward Lake James.
According to the arrest warrant, cited by the Charlotte Observer, Vetter waved a gun around and cursed at people at the river, including children. The deputy who arrived at the scene reportedly found Vetter sitting in a chair by the river with two firearms — a .410 shotgun and a 9mm pistol — within reach. Vetter was charged with two counts of possession of a firearm by a felon, and the Charlotte Observer reports he had previously served time in prison after pleading guilty to felony possession of marijuana with intent to manufacture, sell, or deliver, a conviction that legally barred him from possessing weapons.
Magistrate Cited Fear Among Children
In the official magistrate release order, judicial officials wrote that Vetter had been waving a gun and cursing at river floaters, including children who were in fear for their safety, and explicitly designated him a danger to the public, the outlet's report states. The McDowell County Sheriff's Office issued a news release about the case on Wednesday.
Court records reviewed by the same outlet trace Vetter's underlying felony to a May 2011 guilty plea in Burke County Superior Court, where he admitted to possession with intent to manufacture, sell, or deliver marijuana — a Class I felony that resulted in a six-to-eight-month suspended sentence and two years of probation. That conviction is what triggered the state's permanent firearm prohibition now underpinning his current charges.
What Vetter Could Face in Court
Under North Carolina General Statutes § 14-415.1, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon is classified as a Class G felony, carrying a statutory sentence ranging from 8 to 31 months in prison depending on a defendant's prior record level, according to Randall Law PLLC. Separately, federal law under 18 U.S.C. § 922(g) imposes a lifetime ban on firearm possession for anyone convicted of a felony punishable by more than a year in prison, with violations punishable by up to 10 years in federal prison, per Charlotte Weapons Defense Attorneys.
North Carolina law does not automatically restore firearm rights once probation or a prison sentence is completed; that restoration requires an official pardon from the Governor, according to Grace, Tisdale & Clifton P.A. McDowell County court records indicate Vetter is scheduled to appear for a disposition hearing on Monday, September 14, in District Court.
It remains unclear whether prosecutors will pursue additional misdemeanor charges, such as going armed to the terror of the public or communicating threats, or whether federal authorities might review the case given the two weapons recovered at the scene. Also unresolved is how local river outfitters or park authorities plan to address safety along the public float route in the wake of the incident. The McDowell County Sheriff's Office, which regularly coordinates with agencies including the Marion Police Department and the NC State Bureau of Investigation on countywide public safety matters, has not indicated whether either question will be addressed as the case moves toward its September court date.
