(Atlantic) The Cass County Attorney’s Office determined the individual who displayed a gun at the Dollar General in Atlantic last week acted within his rights.
On April 3, the Atlantic Police Department responded to an incident at the Dollar General Store following a report of an altercation involving a weapon. Both men admitted the incident started with one man giving the other man grief over the amount of personal product he was buying. This led to an argument between the two men that escalated to a point where one of the men displayed a gun.
During the investigation, Police viewed the store video, and the County Attorney determined that 45-year old Jeptha Vestal, of Atlantic, was the initial aggressor and acted in a manner that would cause a reasonable person to feel threatened with imminent violence. The County Attorney also determined that the man displaying the handgun was acting within his rights under Iowa’s statutes regarding self-defense and defense of others. Thus, authorities charged Vestal with disorderly conduct, which is a simple misdemeanor. The name of the man who brandished the gun was not released.
