A 60-year-old Stone County man is in custody after a domestic disturbance reportedly escalated into threats against his wife and physical altercations with law enforcement personnel. Ray Leon Mings, of rural Mountain View, now faces 12 charges, including felony and misdemeanor counts.
According to a probable cause affidavit from the Stone County Sheriff’s Office, deputies were dispatched to Mings’ residence following a report of a domestic disturbance. The caller stated that Mings, allegedly intoxicated, was positioned at the gate of the property with multiple firearms and had made threats to shoot at responding officers.
Five deputies arrived at the scene and found Mings passed out in his truck, with the keys in the ignition and three firearms in the back of the vehicle. When deputies woke him and attempted to remove him from the vehicle, Mings resisted, briefly escaping their grip before assuming what officials describe as a "fighting stance." Deputies deployed pepper spray to subdue him.
During the encounter, Mings allegedly made threats against the deputies, kicked one of them in the torso, and continued resisting as he was placed into a patrol car. At the jail, the affidavit notes that Mings continued to struggle, requiring him to be secured in a restraint chair. He also refused to submit to a chemical test for driving while intoxicated, prompting authorities to obtain a warrant for a blood draw.
While being transported to a hospital for the blood draw, Mings reportedly made threats against his wife, saying he would “take care” of her and expressing an intent to kill her after his release from custody.
Court records reveal that Mings has a prior criminal record, including previous arrests in Florida for domestic battery and aggravated assault.
For this incident, Mings is charged with two felonies: first-degree terroristic threatening and second-degree battery. Additionally, he faces several misdemeanors, including five counts of attempting to influence a public servant, resisting arrest with force, disorderly conduct, and interfering with law enforcement, along with driving while intoxicated and refusing a chemical test.
Mings remains in the Stone County Jail on a $75,000 bond.