GUILFORD COUNTY, N.C. — The man accused of assaulting a detective Monday in Oak Ridge appeared in court Tuesday afternoon.
54-year-old Andrew Caetto is facing the following charges:
- Three counts of misdemeanor assault on a law enforcement officer
- One count of felony assault on a law enforcement officer with a firearm
What happened in court Tuesday?
The district attorney said Caetto called 911 Monday morning to get the sheriff's office to respond. During the call, he reportedly said, "When they get here, they will find out." His wife also called 911, saying she was afraid of him.
The DA said Caetto was agitated toward deputies, threw a drink at them, and squared off like he was going to fight them. When deputies asked if he was OK, he reportedly said to them, "Come over and you'll find out. I called you here to watch."
The DA said when deputies tried to subdue Caetto, he tried to grab a gun from a deputy, and the gun ended up firing and hitting another deputy.
Caetto's attorney said he's a retired Gulf War veteran with no violent record. His attorney said he was employed with the Department of Defense for a while. The defense attorney said Caetto wasn't reaching for a gun and that his wife called 911 because she was worried about his behavior but didn't think he was dangerous. The attorney said Caetto was injured by law enforcement during the encounter.
The court found him to be a danger to the community and signed off on a request to have him committed to Central Regional Hospital.
Caetto's next court date was set for August 1.
If convicted of the charges he faces, Caetto could serve 450 months total (37.5 years).
Previous report:
This all stemmed from an incident that happened at a home on Skippers Trace Monday morning.
The Guilford County Sheriff's Office said one of its deputies was shot.
The shooting happened just after 1:20 a.m. at a home on Skippers Trace in Oak Ridge. According to a release, deputies were responding to an incident at the location.
During the incident, the sheriff's office said 29-year-old GCSO Master Corporal Dakota Brim was shot and taken to a nearby hospital. The deputy was released after treatment.
The property owner and suspect, Andrew Caetto, was arrested and charged with assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill, inflicting serious injury. Arrest warrants say Caetto assaulted a detective with an assault rifle.
Caetto was taken to a local hospital for non-life-threatening injuries.
Investigators said there is no threat to the community.
A neighbor told WFMY News 2 that the people involved had moved to the area in February. The neighbor said they woke up to the sound of yelling and the sight of several deputies.
Deputies said Caetto is currently being held at the Guilford County Detention Center in Greensboro under no bond. This investigation is ongoing.
The NC Sheriff's Association said in addition to the deputy-involved shooting in Guilford County, there was another in Johnston County on Monday.
The Sheriff's Association said being in law enforcement is dangerous, but it's truly a calling.
"Most officers go through their entire day, entire shift, entire career, without being faced with someone that's using a deadly weapon against an officer, but it can arise at any time, and when it does it's rather instantaneous, and requires an almost instantaneous decision by the officer in order to protect their own lives, and the lives of innocent that may be in the vicinity," said Eddie Caldwell, Executive Vice President with the NC Sheriff's Association.
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