Man charged for allegedly swinging baseball bat at strangers in Rowan Co.

ROWAN COUNTY, N.C. (WBTV) - In June of last year, Justin Gray Morgan was charged by police in Salisbury after he allegedly was swinging a baseball bat at children in Walmart.

On Wednesday Morgan was back in jail, this time charged with going armed to the terror of the public and disorderly conduct.

Morgan, 36, was arrested on Tuesday afternoon in the 4800 block of Old Beatty Ford Road. He was released on a written promise to appear in court following a bond hearing on Wednesday.

In court, Morgan told the judge that he “messed up.”

According to deputies, they were called on Tuesday afternoon to a convenience store parking lot on Old Beatty Ford Road at Old Concord Road. They found Morgan there.

Workers said he was swinging a baseball bat at random customers and their cars. He also walked to the road to swing the bat at drivers going by, according to deputies. He was screaming about “fighting for his kids.” He reportedly told the deputies he would not fight them because he “was outnumbered.” He also was allegedly combative with officers at the jail.

The incident last June involved Morgan allegedly stealing a baseball bat at Walmart and swinging the bat at children and other customers. Investigators say Morgan confronted the police and then complied with their command to put the bat on the ground. Morgan was taken into custody and charged with larceny and second-degree trespassing. Morgan had been previously banned from the Walmart.

Two charges of assault on a government official were added after Morgan’s arrest for an incident at the Rowan County Detention Center. He did assault two detention officers while refusing to cooperate during the booking process, according to investigators. The deputies were not injured.

In 2021, Morgan was charged with assault on a police officer, filing a false police report, and misuse of the 911 system.

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