John Jefferson
Background: Estes Road in Macon County where the Buckland family attacked workers with a rival paving company (Google Maps). Inset: Paving workers in Monroe County, Georgia (WMAZ/YouTube).
Members of a family in Georgia that owns paving companies throughout the state are facing criminal charges for allegedly attacking employees working for a rival business using baseball bats, sticks and other weapons — including a “cowboy-style pistol” — after they spotted them doing a job by one of their houses, police say.
The Buckland family, according to cops, found the job “disrespectful” and allegedly set upon the EH Paving crew on Dec. 19 while they were on a job in Monroe County at a neighbor’s house on Estes Road, per the local CBS affiliate WMAZ, which cited the incident report.
“Like something out of the Sopranos TV series,” Monroe County Sheriff Brad Freeman told WMAZ over the weekend.
Authorities took six members of the Buckland family into custody for the attack after it unfolded, with the eldest — Mark Buckland Sr., 77 — being accused of using the “long cowboy-style gun” to scare and intimidate EH Paving workers by firing it off into the woods. His son, Mark Buckland Jr., 58 allegedly incited everything.
“These are adult men,” Freeman said. “Adult men with pretty good reputations.”
Police say Mark Buckland Sr.’s other son, Willy Buckland Sr., 50, and Willy Buckland Jr., 22, were allegedly involved in the attack as well, along with Luke Buckland, 28, and James Small, 21, who is Mark Buckland Sr.’s son-in-law.
The owner of EH Paving, who has not been identified, told WMAZ that his two sons and nephew were victims and suffered knots, bruises and other small injuries. One vomited and reported being light-headed as a result of the assault, which led to them being taken to a hospital, the owner says. He claims the Bucklands have been following him and his workers for quite some time and have started fights with them at job sites in the past.
Jail records show that the Bucklands have all been released after posting bond. Mark Buckland Sr. has been charged with pointing or aiming a gun or pistol at another person, criminal trespass and tampering with evidence; Mark Buckland Jr. is charged with inciting to rioting, criminal trespass and simple battery; Willy Buckland Sr. is charged with aggravated assault and criminal trespass; the rest of the family is charged with simple battery and criminal trespass.
Attempts by Law&Crime to reach the family for comment Saturday were unsuccessful.
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