Republic’s Marsh charged with unlawful possession, discharge of a firearm

Accidentally shot hole through ceiling of apartment, floor upstairs with shotgun
A Republic man was arrested after he allegedly discharged a firearm accidentally on Tuesday, March 25, putting a hole in the ceiling of his apartment and the floor of the apartment above his. Gregory Lee Marsh, 41, was booked into Greene County Jail on Thursday, March 27. He is charged with unlawful possession of a firearm and unlawful discharge of a firearm.
According to the probable cause statement in the case, Republic police officers were dispatched to Marsh’s residence after he allegedly fired a shotgun in his apartment. Two witnesses told the officers that Marsh was the only person in the room at the time the shotgun was fired; they both also told officers that Marsh said, “I didn’t know it was loaded.” Afterward, they said, he fled the building.
Officers found a circular hole in the ceiling of Marsh’s apartment and a shotgun leaned across the doorframe of a closet nearby. They also examined the apartment above Marsh’s and reported finding “the vinyl flooring had broken and scattered throughout the hallway and there were pellet projectiles and a wad from the shotgun shell.” They also reported that they removed 12 firearms from Marsh’s residence.
The occupant of the apartment above Marsh’s, identified as Victim One, said they were in their master bedroom when they heard a loud “boom” and saw the shotgun shell come through their floor.
Marsh is being charged as a prior and persistent offender in the count of unlawful possession of a firearm. According to the criminal complaint against him, he has multiple felony convictions in Stone County, including unlawful use of a weapon, unlawful possession of a firearm, and domestic assault. According to the bond recommendation in the case, he was also convicted of deviate sexual assault, in which he used a knife to compel someone to have intercourse with him. According to the bond recommendation, he may face up to 12 counts of unlawful possession of a firearm. He was also described as a flight risk.
“Firing an illegal gun into an occupied house makes (the) defendant a giant public safety risk,” Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Nicholas Bergeon wrote, “since he has shown he will not comply with lawful orders on guns and that this lack of compliance puts people at risk. Additionally, his fleeing the scene prevented any investigation into whether he was intoxicated and shows he is a flight risk.”
Marsh remained in Greene County Jail, where he was being held without bond. He is next due in court on Monday, April 21, for a counsel status hearing.