Man arrested after linked shootings in Hart, Franklin counties

HART COUNTY, Ga. - A Hart County man is facing multiple felony charges after deputies linked two shooting incidents reported in Hart and Franklin counties earlier this week, according to authorities.

What we know:

Deputies with the Hart County Sheriff’s Office responded around 11:30 a.m. Jan. 6 to a report of a bullet entering the front glass door of a home on Green Acres Circle in Hart County. Investigators said video footage from the scene led to a vehicle description that matched a similar shooting reported earlier the same day in Franklin County.

Through coordination with the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, deputies identified the suspect vehicle. Franklin County deputies executed a search warrant and took Richard Albert Watkins, 64, of Gumlog, into custody without incident. Authorities said firearms were recovered during the search.

Watkins is charged in Hart County with five counts of aggravated assault, two counts of criminal damage to property, discharging a firearm from a roadway, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. Investigators said the shootings stemmed from previous threats made by the suspect toward the victims and their families.

FOX 5 Atlanta has reached out for a mug shot.