Wesley Gage Weldon
Mug of Ga., State Rep. Tom Weldon, R-RinggoldThe brother of a Georgia state representative shot a friend in an argument over missing items, according to an incident report.
Wesley Gage Weldon, who was booked Friday on charges of aggravated assault, felony drug possession and having tools for the commission of a crime, got into a fight with Judson Samuel Cudd late Thursday night or early Friday morning. They were at Weldon's house, according to a Catoosa County Sheriff's Office incident report.
Weldon's girlfriend, Jennifer Nicole Ray, told a deputy she locked the house on Potts Road in Ringgold when she went to bed Thursday night. But when she woke up, Cudd was there. He told her he had a key to the house.
Ray went outside to smoke, according to the incident report, leaving Cudd and Weldon inside. Sheriff Gary Sisk said the two men had been arguing about drugs or money, depending on which man you ask. All of a sudden, Ray told a deputy, she heard a gunshot. Inside, she found Cudd shot in the leg.
Ray wrapped a "makeshift tourniquet" around his wound, she later told a deputy. She then drove him to Cornerstone Medical Center. Doctors there transferred Cudd to Erlanger Health System. Cudd's injuries were minor and he was released later that day, according to the sheriff's office.
In addition to the aggravated assault charge, Sisk said, the sheriff's office charged Weldon with possession of methamphetamine and morphine after finding the drugs while serving a search warrant. Weldon was released from the Catoosa County Jail this weekend on a bond of $18,500.
Weldon's brother, state Rep. Tom Weldon, said he is representing him in this case. He said Wesley Weldon has provided him brief details on what led to his arrest, and Tom Weldon does not believe the events clearly indicate his brother is guilty. He declined to go into detail Monday.
"It's under investigation," the Ringgold Republican said. "We're working on that."
Tom Weldon also represents Wesley Weldon in a case involving drug charges last year. Before that arrest, according to the sheriff's office, Wesley Weldon left a voicemail for his ex-wife in which he threatened to press a gun to somebody's head. Wesley Weldon was not talking to his ex-wife on the message, according to an affidavit she filed with the court. It's unclear if he knew he had called her.
"Grab the AK," he said, according to the affidavit. " Let's see how he likes a gun in his mouth. Let's go."
Wesley Weldon's ex-wife requested a restraining order. When deputies came to his house to serve him, according to an incident report, they found methamphetamine. They arrested him, but a detective left behind a camera showing the drugs in the house.
The detective filled out a search warrant to retrieve the camera a couple of days later. But when he returned, according to an incident report, the camera was gone. Asked about it, Tom Weldon said someone had burglarized the house, taking the sheriff's office camera.
He did not file a complaint to report the burglary.
Contact staff writer Tyler Jett at 423-757-6476 or tjett@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @LetsJett.