NORTH WEBSTER — A North Webster woman has been arrested after discharging a handgun into the air in a residential area.

Amanda Sue Gawthrop

Amanda Sue Gawthrop, 712 E. Boyston Mill Drive, North Webster, was booked for criminal recklessness with a deadly weapon, a class B misdemeanor.

According to court documents, on July 29 an officer with the North Webster Police Department responded to a call about an intoxicated woman discharging a handgun into the air.

When the officer arrived, he observed a handgun laying on the stairs. The handgun was warm to the touch and smelled of gunpowder. The magazine was missing, but the officer located one live round in the chamber.

A male resident advised that Gawthrop stated she wanted to harm herself after he discovered text messages on her phone. Gawthrop grabbed the handgun from her vehicle. The male locked the door to the house where two minors were asleep. The male then heard a gunshot and called the police. At that time, Gawthrop came to the door, stated she wasn’t going to do anything and showed that the magazine had been removed from the gun.

The officer spoke with Gawthrop and located the magazine laying next to her in bed. Gawthrop’s speech was slurred and appeared intoxicated. She later registered a .16 percent blood alcohol level. Gawthrop denied wanting to harming herself, but admitted to discharging the firearm in an attempt to get the male’s attention.

An empty syringe, a sterile syringe without the needle and an empty ampule of Hydromorphone was located inside Gawthrop’s vehicle. Gawthrop worked at Kosciusko Community Hospital and stated that sometimes empty syringes come home in her pockets. The male stated that Gawthrop often brings home Dilaudid, an opioid pain medication, from the hospital.

Gawthrop was booked into the Kosciusko County Jail on Oct. 14 with a $5,000 surety bond.