by: Anna Chen

Posted: Feb 7, 2025 /

STAFFORD COUNTY, Va. (DC News Now) — Drone pilots and SWAT members were able to find and arrest a suspect who fled from authorities on Thursday night.

The Stafford County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO) said on Feb. 8, just after 8 p.m., deputies responded to a disturbance with a weapon report on Taylors Hill Way.

There, deputies were told that a resident was impaired and had shot his gun several times in his home.

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Deputies did not know if the suspect, identified as 29-year-old Franco Charles, was in his home so they deployed drones to look.

• (Photo courtesy of the Stafford County Sheriff’s Office)

Charles was not found in his home, so the SWAT Team responded. Drones began surveying the nearby area.

He was found walking on Truslow Road. When deputies told him to stop, he started running into the woods.

Drone operators were able to find Charles in the woods, and he was taken into custody.

Charles is being held without bond at the Rappahannock Regional Jail. He is being charged with shooting into an occupied dwelling and reckless handling of a firearm.