A Georgia police chief who said he accidentally shot his ex-wife while they slept was indicted on Wednesday on a misdemeanor reckless-conduct charge , a prosecutor said . Peachtree City Police Chief William McCollom called 911 early New Year 's Day to report inadvertently shooting his ex-wife , Margaret , as they slept in their suburban Atlanta home . The shooting left Margaret McCollom paralyzed below the waist . McCollom resigned from the chief 's job in March . Peachtree City Chief of Police William McCollom , pictured left , dialed 911 to report accidentally shooting his wife Margaret , right , as she slept in their suburban Atlanta home early New Year 's Day . Griffin Judicial Circuit District Attorney Scott Ballard said investigators found no evidence McCollom intended to harm Margaret McCollom . However , Ballard said he concluded the shooting could have been prevented . The prosecutor said McCollom told investigators he drank alcohol and took medication to help him sleep . Ballard said the investigation showed that McCollom , a former firearms instructor , woke during the night when he heard barking dogs , prompting him to grab his service handgun from a dresser and search the house . He returned to bed with the gun and told investigators he woke next to the sound of a gunshot , Ballard said . The chief said he suspected he might have been trying in his sleep to move the gun to a nightstand . 'The gun was in the bed , I went to move it , and I put it to a side and it went off , ' McCollom told a 911 dispatcher , according to a recording of the call . McCollom worked in policing for nearly 30 years in Wyoming , Florida and Georgia . He resigned from the police chief position in Georgia in March . Investigators found no evidence that McCollom was trying to hurt Margaret . He was indicted on Wednesday on a misdemeanor reckless-conduct charge . Margaret McCollom told police at the hospital that she was asleep when the shooting happened but believed it was an accident , according to state investigators . The couple divorced in 1999 but later reunited . 'When I look at the facts , it appears to me that this is reckless conduct , ' Ballard said . If convicted , McCollom could face a year in jail . McCollom 's defense attorney , Thomas Cook Jr. , did not respond to a message seeking comment . McCollom worked in policing for nearly 30 years in Wyoming , Florida and Georgia . Personnel records showed no evidence of criminality , serious misconduct or recklessness in his past . The New Year 's Day shooting happened after McCollom had woken up to a noise and walked around with his gun before bringing it back to bed with him .
William McCollom , the chief of police in Peachtree City , Georgia , called 911 on January 1 to say he had accidentally shot his wife , Margaret . Margaret was left paralyzed below the waist and believes it was an accident . McCollom resigned from chief position in March after working in policing for nearly three decades . He was indicted on a reckless-conduct charge on Wednesday .