Hawthorne Felon Arrested for Possession of Firearm, Allegedly Shoots at Hunting Club Members

HAWTHORNE ‒ A Hawthorne man has been arrested after allegedly shooting at members of a hunting club who were hunting on the property next to his home. Michael Dale Roberson, 44, was arrested Tuesday morning, Dec. 13, and charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and use of a two-way communication device to facilitate a felony.

A member of the hunting club contacted a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) officer and said that members of the club had been threatened, harassed and shot at by Roberson. Roberson lives with his mother. His father, who was an honorary member of the hunting club, died last year.

The hunting club member reportedly told the officer that in the last week of November, every time the club members hunted in the woods next to Roberson’s residence, Roberson monitored their VHF radio channel in his deceased father’s pickup truck. The member said Roberson has threatened over the radio to kill the hunters and their dogs if they come on or near his property. He also cursed at the hunters over the radio. The member also reported that multiple tree stands have been cut down by a power tool. Roberson reportedly owns a similar power tool.

Roberson has two felony convictions, one in Texas and one in Florida, both for firearm theft and is not permitted to possess firearms.

On the morning of Nov. 27, FWC officers observed Roberson’s residence and the adjacent hunting club property. As the hunting club members started arriving in the morning, an officer saw Roberson walking near the pickup truck, then Roberson reportedly began walking down the driveway toward the road with a pistol in a holster on his hip. As a hunter drove by, the officer heard a shot fired from a handgun from the wood line next to the roadway. He then reported that he heard a woman’s voice from the residence, telling Roberson to stop and come back to the house at which point Roberson walked back to the house.

Multiple club members reportedly told the officer that Roberson is disabled; they speculated that he may be having a mental health crisis. The hunters said they were concerned if Roberson continues to have access to firearms.

Judge Susan Miller-Jones set bail at $100,000.

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