FLORENCE -- A Pinal County man had venomous intentions when he tried to attack a neighbor using a wild rattlesnake as a weapon last week.
Pinal County Sheriff's Office deputies arrested Nathaniel Buck Harrison, 38, on July 23 after they encountered a bizarre scene at a home in the 1100 block of North Justice Drive in Oracle about 9:30 p.m.
Following a 911 call about shots fired in the area, a witness reported that Harrison entered the house uninvited and fired a handgun.
According to a PCSO press release sent out Tuesday morning, Harrison started accusing the 53-year-old victim of being a “rat” and responsible for sending Harrison's friend to prison.
The suspect proceeded to hit the victim in the head with a board, which broke in half, and threatened to "kill" him with a rattlesnake Harrison brought. But the snake didn't go along with Harrison's plan and refused to bite the victim.
That's when the suspect forced his neighbor to kneel down on the floor, and fired a .45-caliber bullet into a speaker box on the floor near the victim’s foot.
Once deputies arrived, they tried unsuccessfully to convince Harrison to come out of the home. Authorities then surrounded the residence and waited until the man eventually came out and refused to answer any questions.
Deputies found the pistol hidden under a couch after a search inside the home. They also discovered the snake nearby and released the reptile back into the wild.
In a statement, sheriff Paul Babeu said this is the first case he has ever heard of where a suspect attempted to use a venomous snake to kill or injure his victim. The victim told deputies he is afraid Harrison will come back and kill him if released from custody.
Harrison, who has a lengthy criminal history, is being held at the Pinal County Jail on a $50,000 bond. He faces charges of endangerment, aggravated assault, criminal trespassing, disorderly conduct with a weapon, possession of a deadly weapon during the commission of a felony offense, unlawful discharge of a firearm and threatening and intimidating.
