Lucky for them, it was just a BB gun
Ghost hunting can be a dangerous pastime. Just ask the group of ghost hunters who went out to investigate a remote rural tunnel last week. Even though the tunnel was on public property, a woman living on land adjacent to the tunnel took offense when the car full of investigators pulled up in the middle of the night. A 28 year-old woman named Brandi Lea Avery allegedly told the investigators to leave the area. When they did not comply, she fired on them with a BB gun.
Avery was arrested the next morning and charged with five counts of aggravated assault, then released on $10,000 bail. At the time of her arrest, she told the arresting officer that she was tired of being disturbed by paranormal investigators tramping around in the middle of the night to examine the tunnel.
This incident highlights the need of paranormal investigators to ensure that they have all the proper clearances, and that their presence is tolerated, even welcomed by anyone whose property they impact. Even though Avery was clearly in the wrong for shooting at the investigators with a BB gun, one imagines that she had been driven to the end of her rope by middle-of-the-night gatherings of investigators who doubtless had no idea (or didn't care) that there were neighbors trying to sleep nearby.
In fact, paranormal investigators can be a real problem for "attractive" properties. Notorious paranormal hotspots like Western State Asylum have to post extra guards to keep away investigators who would otherwise run rampant over the grounds in the middle of the night. Most true investigators are respectful, but others are just thrill seekers who may be bent on removing property as a "souvenir," leave their garbage lying around, and even spray paint graffiti as part of their adventure.
The Sensabaugh Hollow Road Tunnel in Tennessee is a popular location of paranormal activity, from phantom trains to a mysterious crying baby. One story locals tell is that the tunnel was named after an area man who went on a killing spree one night and murdered every member of his family, ending with the slaughter of an infant inside the tunnel. The infant's cries supposedly still echo there.
Another rumor holds that a pregnant girl was murdered in the tunnel. Legend has it that if you park your car there in the middle of the night, it will be surrounded by light and the pounding of her fists as she tries to get into your car, along with the cries of her unborn infant.