State Rep. Wallace Scarborough took a gun with him late Saturday when he went outside to investigate flashlights in his parents' backyard. He spent the rest of the night in jail.

Scarborough, 47, was arrested after brandishing and pointing a pistol at utility workers and then firing his gun at about 9:45 p.m., according to an affidavit. Two South Carolina Electric and Gas employees were in the yard checking equipment after storms passed through the area, SCE&G spokesman Eric Boomhower said.

Scarborough, who was house sitting at his parents' home in the Crescent community in West Ashley, was charged with two counts of assault with intent to kill and released Sunday on a personal recognizance bond, according to jail officials.

His lawyer, John Graham Altman, said Scarborough discovered the utility workers in the yard and asked them to leave. But when they told Scarborough they had a right to be there, the lawmaker turned to walk back into the house to call police. On the way, his gun accidently discharged and fired a bullet into the porch, Altman said.

One SCE&G employee told police Scarborough shined a flashlight on the pistol and said, "You see what I have? Get off my property," according to the incident report. The workers fled when the gun was fired, the report states.

Altman said he will immediately seek the dismissal of the charges and demand that the electric company apologize.

"I don't think its against the law to fire a pistol into your own back porch. It's absolutely obscene to think that a judge would uphold these charges," Altman said.

"I want to teach SCE&G a lesson," he said. "They've got no right to be in his backyard at 9:30 at night. You ought to knock on the door."

A storm caused some power outages in the community, and the two electric company workmen were assessing the damage, Boomhower said.

But the lights did not go out where Scarborough was staying, Altman said.

"It's not uncommon for our employees to go into areas where damage has been done and implement repairs," Boomhower said. "I don't know without consulting some of our legal folks if there are any restrictions as to where they can go."

Reach Nadine Parks at nparks@postandcourier.com or 937-5573 or.