Caleb I. Starnes
Date of Birth: 03/18/1997
113 Jefferson Drive
Franklin, Tennessee
A Franklin man was released from jail earlier today after posting bond on several serious felony charges stemming from an incident in Franklin’s Westhaven Subdivision, Friday.
On 07/24/2015 at 9:20 pm, officers were summoned to the subdivision’s basketball courts, located at 401 Cheltenham Avenue, after several airsoft pellets were fired into a crowd from a passing vehicle. FPD Flex Unit Officers who were in the area stopped the suspect vehicle moments later. Inside they found an AR-15 replica airsoft gun and several magazines. The driver, 18-year-old Caleb Starnes, and his juvenile passenger were both arrested and charged with four counts of Aggravated Assault and four counts of Reckless Endangerment.
Starnes, who was also charged with Contributing to the Delinquency of a Minor, was released today after posting a $100,000 bond. He is due in court on 08/06/2015 at 1:00 pm. Information on the juvenile suspect is being withheld in accordance with TN law.
Four juveniles were struck by airsoft pellets during the incident. None of them were seriously injured. Some airsoft guns are extremely realistic looking. In fact, it is nearly impossible to tell the difference between some airsofts and a real firearm. Airsoft guns should never be pointed or shot at anyone, and doing so can obviously result in very serious criminal charges.
Come on guys, back in the 1950’s we did about the same things and folks knew we were just kids..
In the 1950’s the toy weapons weren’t made like they are today… that could have been a lot more serious.. Airsoft rifles are not the Red Ryder and Daisy BB guns we had… and this KID is 18 – that’s no 10-year old school boy, that’s a MAN! In the 1950’s kids (and especially men) didn’t go around shooting into crowds. Just kids isn’t an excuse when it’s a crime – especially for an 18 year old! It wasn’t then and it isn’t now. In the 1950’s kids were kids but the mischief they committed wasn’t criminal activity. If YOUR child were playing on the court and that happened, would you feel the same?
Thanks FPD for quick response. As a resident of Westhaven we intend to keep our neighborhood safe, clean and open to civilized visitors. This case meets none of the above. This adult needs to be reminded what his parents failed to do – Do unto others as you would expect them to do unto you. Grow up!
Doug, seriously???????? This isnt the fifties, this isnt the Andy Griffith, Leave it to Beaver era. I miss the quiet times of the eighties also. This is, unfortunately, the era of Chatanooga, Lafayette, Colorado, school shootings, and lots of stuff going on that people in the fifities would not tolerate, period. Just let someone point anything that resembles a gun toward my child and I will personally remedy the situation. As tenntuxx stated, this was a man, not a child that did this. He definitely deserves a penalty, a good spanking, psychiatric help and an apology to the child riding with him. I cant believe this happened right here. He needs a night in jail with some people who shoot “real” guns and see the reality of what life is. He also needs to be watched very closely. Next time he may be carrying the real thing!
I’m as upset as anyone about this situation. That being said, there are multiple sides to every story. We know next to nothing about the minor who was doing the shooting. We know very little about the incident in general. Let’s not make assumptions about the Starnes family just because Caleb is the only one pictured here.