Atwater man jailed after he accidentally fired stolen gun, police say

An Atwater man was arrested Wednesday after police said he accidentally fired a gun that had been stolen in a burglary.

Atwater police responded to a report of gunshots about 9:30 a.m. in the 2700 block of Hillcrest Street, Lt. Samuel Joseph said in a news release.

The homeowner told police Adrian Lenton, 37, fired a shot inside the home and was still inside the home asleep, police said.

Officers found two guns inside the room where Lenton slept that were reported stolen from a car that morning, authorities said.

Joseph said Lenton claimed he fired the gun accidentally while he was sleeping, but, Joseph said, investigators didn’t believe him.

“It’s believed he stole the gun and then discharged it while he was basically trying to get familiar with it,” Joseph told the Sun-Star.

Officers arrested Lenton and booked him into jail on suspicion of the willful negligence of discharging a gun, being a felon in possession of a gun and ammunition, possession of stolen property and burglary.

Lenton has been jailed in the past for violating his probation, booking records show.

He remains in John Latorraca Correction Facility on more than $220,000 bail.

This story was originally published August 4, 2016 at 12:21 PM with the headline "Atwater man jailed after he accidentally fired stolen gun, police say."