An Oregon County man is facing multiple felony charges after deputies say he fired a gun while intoxicated, putting four children in danger. According to the probable cause statement, deputies were called to a home on May 8 after a woman reported that her neighbor, Earl Matthew Sigafus, was shooting a firearm while drunk and that a bullet had ricocheted near her property where her four children were playing.
The reporting party told deputies she rushed the children inside after hearing the first shot and believed Sigafus was firing in her direction and across AA Highway toward another home. When Deputy James Martin arrived, he found Sigafus sitting in a lawn chair with a case of beer and several empty cans nearby, along with a Taurus .357 revolver and ten spent casings on the ground.
Sigafus admitted he had been drinking and shooting. After being taken into custody, he registered a .247 blood alcohol content on a breath test. The firearm was later test‑fired and found to be fully functional.
Sigafus is accused of four counts of endangering the welfare of a child and four counts of armed criminal action. His bond is set at $10,000.
