A Georgia family that owns several paving companies in the middle of the state reportedly attacked crews from a rival paving company this month, using bats, sticks, and other weapons.
Six members of the Buckland family were arrested after the latest attack on December 19, but it wasn’t the first time the Bucklands targeted EH Paving, WMAZ reported.
“Like something out of the Sopranos TV series,” Monroe County Sheriff Brad Freeman said. “These are adult men too. Adult men with pretty good reputations.”
On December 19, police said, an EH Paving crew was working on a man’s driveway when the homeowner saw three trucks pull up in the roadway and begin arguing with the crew he hired.
EH Paving’s owner told police that Willy Buckland Sr., 50, hit one of his sons in the head with a bat. Willy Buckland Jr., 22, and the senior Buckland’s son in law — James Small, 21 — attacked his other son, the owner sai, while another Buckland, 28-year-old Luke, attacked his nephew.
The police report said the EH Paving crew had knots and bruising, and one was taken to a hospital after he reported being lightheading and throwing up.
The police report said that Mark Buckland Jr., 58, incited the violence but that it escalated when his father, 77-year-old Mark Buckland Sr., brandished a “cowboy-style pistol.” That prompted one of the EH Paving crew members to pull out his own gun and fire a shot into the woods to try to scare off the Bucklands.
All six Bucklands were charged with criminal trespass. Mark Buckland Sr. was charged with pointing a pistol at another and tampering with evidence for attempting to hide the gun. Willy Buckland Sr. was charged with aggravated assault. Mark Buckland Jr., Willy Buckland Jr, Luke Buckland, and James Small were charged with battery.
EH Paving’s owner told police that the Bucklands attacked because the job they were doing was near one of the homes, which they found “disrespectful.” He said Bucklands had shown up at other job in Griffin and Macon and started fights as well.
