Man accused of pointing shotgun at child faces additional charges

HIAWASSEE, Ga. – Bruce Lyle Gross, 63, of Hiawassee, is facing additional charges stemming from a recent arrest involving a shotgun and a four year old. Gross is accused of pointing a firearm at a neighbor and his four year old son during a dispute on Monday, Jan. 14. Towns County Sheriff’s Office responded to the incident, charging Gross with two counts of aggravated assault and one count of cruelty to children in the first degree. The suspected shotgun used in the crime was seized by law enforcement officers at the time of the subject’s arrest with the case forwarded to the criminal investigation unit of the sheriff’s office.

On Tuesday, Jan. 22, following an investigation, Towns County Sheriff’s Office executed a search warrant at the suspect’s Hiawassee residence, seizing five additional firearms. Gross was charged with six counts of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

Gross is being held without bond at the Towns County Detention Center without bond at the time of publication. Towns County Sheriff’s Office has forwarded the case to the Enotah Circuit District Attorney’s Office for prosecution. Gross is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.