Morgantown man charged with felony for criminal recklessness

JACKSON TWP. – A 21-year-old man Gage Walden from Morgantown has been charged with a level 6 felony for criminal recklessness while armed with a deadly weapon.

On May 14, Sheriff’s Deputy Cody Loncaric responded to a call on Carmel Ridge Road regarding a report of a man who had been shot in the leg.

According to the report, when Loncaric arrived on the scene Deputy Jeff Dames had already arrived and spoken with Walden.

Walden allegedly was holding and looking at a gun when it fired and shot Jacob Hubbard in the leg. Walden allegedly handed Dames the firearm.

According to the report, Walden, Hubbard and two other friends were sitting in the living room when Walden pulled his gun out of his waistband. Walden, Hubbard and one of the friends had reportedly been drinking before the incident. Hubbard got up to cross the room and as he passed Walden, he was allegedly shot in the leg.

Walden allegedly told the officers that he thought the magazine and bullets had been removed from the gun before he pulled the trigger. When Hubbard spoke with Brown County 911, he allegedly told them he had accidentally shot himself because he did not want Walden to get in trouble.

According to the report, Patrol Officer Heath Young also arrived on scene and Young and Dames applied gauze and a tourniquet to Hubbard’s leg before emergency medical services arrived to check him out and transport him to Johnson Memorial Hospital.

According to the report, Walden was transported to IU Health Hospital in Bloomington for a blood draw before going to the Brown County Sheriff’s Office for further questioning.

Nashville man charged with felony for sexual battery

NASHVILLE – A 40-year-old Nashville man Robert Hessman has been charged with a level 6 felony for sexual battery.

On June 10, Patrol Officer Heath Young was dispatched to the Speedway gas station in Nashville in reference to a battery that had occurred.

According to the report, Young made contact with the caller and victim Niki Vera, store manager. Vera was working in the cooler area at around 11:55 p.m. when Hessman allegedly walked in the store.

According to the report, Vera left the cooler to greet him and then returned to continue stocking items. Hessman allegedly entered the cooler area a few minutes later uninvited and touched Vera inappropriately.

Vera allegedly did not say anything because she was alone in the store. According to the report, Vera left the cooler in which Hessman asked her to return. Two customers entered the store and Vera allegedly asked them to stay inside until Hessman left.

According to the report, Hessman is a regular at Speedway and Vera was able to point him out in a lineup of photos. Young made contact with Hessman at his residence and noticed a beige Chevrolet Silverado in the driveway, which could be seen leaving Speedway after the incident.

Hessman allegedly told Young that Vera invited him into the cooler for help and he mistook her invitation, but Vera said that did not happen. According to the report, before the incident Hessman was at the Firebird Tap House where he had multiple beers. When the bar closed and Hessman was asked to leave, he allegedly cornered his server near the refrigerator unit.

Car window busted by delivery truck tow strap

VAN BUREN TWP. – On June 22, Sheriff’s Deputies Joshua Bales and Jacob Gibson responded to a dispatch on Becks Grove Road in which a vehicle and driver had been reportedly struck by a tow strap thrown off of a delivery truck.

According to the report, when Bales arrived on scene he saw a white Freightliner Tractor Cab with a flatbed trailer and forklift buggy parked in the westbound lane with its emergency flashers on. The driver Christopher Williams allegedly stated he had been parked on the north side of the road undoing straps to unload cargo and was throwing them over the truck towards the eastbound lane.

According to the report, there was also a red Ford Expedition parked in the driveway near the Tractor Cab. The driver Jody Miller allegedly had dried blood on her chest and hands and reported that she had a cut on her chest and hand, but refused medical treatment.

According to the report, Miller was driving next to the truck when she slowed to between 5 and 10 miles-per-hour to pass the vehicle.The strap allegedly struck Miller’s window when it was thrown over the cargo truck shattering part of the windshield and spraying glass on Miller. According to the report, there was damage to the vehicle’s windshield, rearview mirror and door all on the driver’s side. Williams told Bales that he allegedly did not know he had struck Miller’s car until after the fact when she told him.