SISKIYOU COUNTY, Calif. – A man was sentenced for endangering his family after he fired a gun in their direction during an argument in northern California.
The Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office said on the morning of March 20, 53-year-old Lee Xeng Yang got angry during an argument at his family’s Mt. Shasta Vista subdivision home. The subdivision is about 22 miles southeast of Yreka.
According to prosecutors, Yang threatened to burn the home down before leaving to get a gas can. After that, he retrieved a handgun from his vehicle and fired it twice at the ground near his mother-in-law’s feet.
After the sheriff’s office responded, they made sure the victims—including five children—were safe.
The next day, Yang was located and arrested without incident.
The Siskiyou County District Attorney’s Office said on August 12, Yang was convicted on two felony charges of making criminal threats and negligent discharge of a firearm. The jury couldn’t agree on three other counts including attempted arson, assault with a firearm and child endangerment. The prosecution reportedly decided not to pursue those charges.
On September 3, Yang was sentenced to nearly one year behind bars. He’ll be required to participate in a 52-week domestic violence program as part of his probation.
“Although technically not relevant to proving the charges in this case, defendant Lee Yang and his family were involved in illegal marijuana cultivation in the Shasta Vista area of Siskiyou County,” the D.A.’s office said. “When this incident occurred in March 2019, the family had recently moved from Minnesota and the defendant had no prior criminal history. This case is one example of the increase in violence in our communities due to illegal marijuana cultivation.”
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