A Hartland traffic incident reportedly involved an allegation that a gun was pointed at a motorist.
The Freeman reported an alleged gun-pointing incident involving a motorist in Hartland.
A Hartland man faced charges in connection with the incident.
A Tense Roadside Exchange
Per the complaint, Armstrong told the woman he thought she was a man, and said, “I've been drinking a little and need to go home.” The woman believed his demeanor shifted once he realized he was dealing with a woman rather than a man, according to the account relayed in the complaint. The exchange ended without injury, but the woman's report to police set off a rapid investigation.
Police arrested Armstrong the following day, Oct. 9, during a traffic stop in Milwaukee while he was driving the same vehicle allegedly used in the Hartland incident, the complaint states. Once a detective told him the stop involved the firearm incident, Armstrong asked for an attorney. He had earlier told officers he is a felon and does not own guns, according to the complaint.
Search Turns Up Two Rifles
A police search warrant executed the same day allegedly turned up two firearms inside the garage of Armstrong's apartment. One was a rifle fitted with a magazine holding 28 rounds, and the other was a rifle equipped with a bayonet, per the complaint. Armstrong's wife reportedly told investigators she did not know about the guns and considered his possession of them dumb given his probation or parole status.
The case draws added weight from Armstrong's criminal history. He was previously convicted of second-degree murder in Missouri in 1988 and sentenced to up to 20 years in prison, and the complaint indicates he remains on lifetime supervision. Under Wisconsin law, an out-of-state conviction like that one is evaluated by looking at the underlying conduct rather than simply the statute violated, according to the Wisconsin Legislature's statutory annotation on firearm restrictions for felons.
Bond, Potential Sentence and What's Next
Armstrong is being held on a $25,000 cash bond and faces more than 31 years in prison if convicted on all counts, the station's report states. One of the charges, disorderly conduct using a dangerous weapon, stems from a Wisconsin statute that generally applies to violent, abusive or otherwise disorderly conduct likely to provoke a disturbance, according to the Wisconsin Legislature's text of that law.
A Hartland traffic confrontation involving an alleged gun incident has been reported.
