Mendocino County grandfather suspected of child endangerment

A Mendocino Coast man was arrested Tuesday for firing multiple gunshots at phantom intruders while his grandchildren were in the house, sheriff’s officials reported.

Douglas Higginbotham, 46, of Albion was booked into the Mendocino County jail on suspicion of child endangerment, discharging a firearm into an inhabited dwelling and being under the influence of a controlled substance, officials said.

Neither his wife nor two grandchildren, ages 2 and 4, were physically harmed, they said.

The incident occurred shortly after 1 a.m. Tuesday, officials said. Higginbotham, believing multiple, armed intruders were breaking into the house, told his wife, Laura Doty, to phone 911, then began firing shots through the walls and doors to repel the imaginary intruders, sheriff’s officials said. When deputies arrived, they heard gunfire coming from the Albion Ridge Road residence. Higginbotham dropped his weapon on command, officials said.

Both Higginbotham and Doty were determined to be under the influence of controlled substances, officials said. The children were taken into protective custody and Higginbotham arrested. Sheriff’s officials said they have requested the district attorney file drug-related charges against Doty.