Charles City man pleads no contest to attempted unlawful wounding after discharging shotgun

A Charles City man who discharged a firearm at multiple people has entered no contest pleas as part of an agreement reached Friday morning in Charles City Circuit Court.

Gary Lee Wade, 55, of the 12900 block of Wilcox Neck Road, entered no contest pleas to two amended charges of attempted unlawful wounding (originally two counts of attempted malicious wounding) and two amended charges of misdemeanor reckless handling of a firearm (originally two counts of use of a firearm in commission of a felony) as part of the agreement. No contest pleas indicate that evidence presented in the case would be enough to convict him of the crimes.

In a summary of evidence provided by Charles City Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Tyler Klink, on Dec. 19, 2022, Wade got into an altercation with a family member about having insurance on a vehicle. The argument escalated, resulting in Wade going outside to retrieve a shotgun. Wade fired shots at the tree line behind the victims, before shooting again at the victims and a third time as the victims stood on the porch. According to the summary, the defendant was approximately 12 feet away from the victims when he discharged the weapon.

Under the agreement, a presentence report is being prepared with formal sentencing scheduled for Nov. 9. Sentencing guidelines recommend a range of eight months to two years, one month to serve.