A Villa Rica man was jailed over Labor Day weekend when he was found on late Sunday night driving a lawnmower by police, and later found with a starter pistol he was using to fire live .22 caliber ammo, per a Polk County Police Department report.

Roger Fricks, 42, of 597 Legion Lake Rd., Lot 2, Villa Rica, was arrested by Polk County Police after midnight on Monday, September 5, 2022, after he was pulled over by officers around 11:17 p.m. on Sunday night, September 4, driving a lawnmower in the area around Ruff Road in Rockmart.

When police first signaled for him to stop, he first refused to stop but then had to when the lawnmower got stuck in the mud. Police reported that the told officers he was driving the lawnmower back home from a friend’s house in the middle of the night after having cut grass earlier, even though the area underwent a significant rain event over the past several days.

The officer reporting the incident also noted that Fricks was dressed in a black hoodie while riding down the road. Though he told officers he had no weapons on him, police found a starter pistol they believed he was using to fire live projectiles after .22 caliber ammo was found inside, and the orange safety tip on the barrel was “cracked and expanded” as if it was used previously to fire the live ammo and not blanks as it was designed to do.

When officers inquired further, they found that Fricks was a felon and wasn’t allowed to own firearms, which in this case police believe applies since he was using the starter pistol to fire live ammo.

During his arrest, police searched him and his property further and found a set of digital scales with suspected methamphetamine residue on the lid, which was kept inside a backpack.

Police took both items in for evidence, and had a wrecker come tow the lawnmower.

Residents who originally called into complain about Fricks on their property said that not long before officers arrived, they found Fricks in their driveway claiming his lawnmower had “quit working.” The residents who talked to officers believed he was there looking for something to steal.

Fricks was taken to the Polk County Jail where he remained as of this posting on a $13,000 bond.

He was charged with possession of methamphetamine, possession of tools for the commission of a crime, possession of a firearm by convicted felon or first offender, and possession of firearm or knife during commission of or attempt to commit certain felonies. All are felony charges.