A Spalding County commissioner was arrested Tuesday following a standoff in a senior living community where he lives, authorities said.
Deputies went to the Sun City Peachtree by Del Webb living community to serve a warrant to Commissioner Donald Hawbaker for simple assault and disorderly conduct, according to Spalding sheriff’s office spokesman Capt. Dwayne Jones.
Sheriff Darrell Dix told Channel 2 Action News that Hawbaker pointed a gun at his wife and told her to leave the house.
Dix told Channel 2 he called Hawbaker and asked him to surrender. He said the 64-year-old commissioner seemed intoxicated.
“He refused to meet me,” Dix said. “He cussed me out on the phone, so we came here.”
When deputies arrived, they were met with gunfire from the home in the 1100 block of Satilla Court in Griffin, Jones said. No deputies were hit.
“At that point, we thought he may have been hit by rounds,” Dix said. “In order to possibly save his life, I ordered our armored personnel carrier to drive through the front of the house. It was the fastest way to get in.”
Hawbaker was eventually taken into custody, ending the standoff after more than two hours.
The SWAT team was assembled after reports of shots fired on the property about 2:30 p.m., Jones said.
Sun City Peachtree bills itself as an active living community for adults over the age of 55.
Residents of the community were told to stay inside their homes while police were on the property, according to the news station.
The GBI is assisting the sheriff’s office with the investigation.
The commissioner was arrested Oct. 8 on a DUI charge, AJC.com previously reported.
Peachtree City police came across Hawbaker’s car on the side of Ga. 74 with a blown-out tire about 4:15 p.m., police spokesman Sgt. Chris Hyatt said. Officials said he identified himself as a Spalding County commissioner and said he had a meeting scheduled that evening, Hyatt said.
RELATED: Spalding County commissioner charged with DUI before government meeting
During their investigation, officers determined Hawbaker was driving under the influence of alcohol, police said.
He was released from jail on a $3,250 bond, Fayette County jail records show.
Hawbaker was elected to his commission seat in November 2014, according to his biography on the Spalding County government page. As an attorney, the Baylor University graduate specializes in estate planning, elder law, trusts and wills.
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