Elizabeth Watson of Adairville plead guilty Thursday, Jan. 21 on one count of first degree wanton endangerment in connection with a shooting that took place on her property last year.

According to police reports Watson, 53, shot 18-year-old Nicolas Islas of Springfield, Tenn. after he and fellow rafters exited their boats onto the shore of the Red River near Schley Dam.

Reports said Watson advised the rafters they were getting ready to go over the dam and they better make their way back up stream. She advised them that she owned the land on both sides of the river and they would be trespassing if they got out. Watson then fired a shot from a .22 caliber rifle and hit Islas in the left leg after he left the raft onto a log in the river. Watson claims she fired the shot as a warning and didn’t intend to Islas.

On July 30, 2009, Logan County District Judge Sue Carol Browning, after hearing testimony about the incident, dismissed the case without prejudice. This means the case was dismissed but could be re-filed in the future if the plaintiff filed another suit on the same claim, which they did.

The day after Browning's ruling on July 31, Commonwealth Attorney Gail Guiling took the case before the Grand Jury, which found there to be enough evidence to indict Watson on a second degree assault charge and four counts of wanton endangerment.

Guiling had said she took the case before the Grand Jury because of the given evidence her office had received to date. The Commonwealth felt that the citizens of Logan County deserved to have 12 members representing the interests of the community determine if this case should go forward.

Judge Browning said she had dismissed the case on the information she had. She said she understood that the Commonwealth had much more evidence to present to the Grand Jury on the case than she had heard during the preliminary hearing.

"It is well within the Commonwealth's right to bring the case to the Grand Jury," said Browning.

Watson’s guilty plea will be classified as a felony carrying a three-year sentence that will be diverted for five years. This means Watson cannot get into trouble for the next five years or she could have to serve her three year sentence.

Other conditions of the plea included the surrendering of her .22 rifle and not being able to own a firearm.