A local man, 62-year-old David Wert, faces a Level 6 felony for sexual battery following an incident last month.
According to the probable cause affidavit, Brown County Sheriff’s Deputy Chris Griggs was dispatched to the Brown County IGA parking lot in reference to a sexual battery that occurred around 7 p.m. on April 21 at a local business in Nashville. Griggs met with the 18-year-old victim and her mother.
The female victim told Griggs that while she was at work earlier in the evening, she had been approached by Wert. They were familiar with each other, because they were past coworkers, so they spoke briefly.
According to the report, the victim first asked Wert if he was OK. She said he was clearly under the influence of alcohol. She also said Wert hugged her and whispered in her ear. This made her uncomfortable and she said she left a few moments later.
As she was leaving, she said Wert called her over to him and asked if she was upset with him, then hugged her again. Allegedly, he intentionally touched her inappropriately after the hug. The report said he made jokes about what he was doing, and did it repeatedly.
A statement was also taken from an eyewitness and fellow employee at the business. According to the report, he said other female employees at the establishment were “creeped out” because “(Wert) was really drunk and trying to talk to them.” Wert was also reportedly asked to leave multiple times.
The witness said when the victim entered the business, she was unware of the situation with Wert at the time. He said he saw Wert call her over to him, hug her, and touch her inappropriately. He said Wert allegedly touched her two more times.
A short time later, the witness said that Wert was escorted off the property.
According to the report, Wert could not be located immediately after the incident, but he called into the Sheriff’s office dispatch around 3 a.m. and asked to speak with Brown County Sheriff’s Deputy Zaccary Sheppard. During the conversation, Sheppard stated that Wert was intoxicated and “talking all over the place.” At one point, Wert allegedly told Sheppard that if he was going to jail, then to come lock him up, the report said.
Sheppard went to Wert’s address and transported him to the Sheriff’s office, by Griggs’ request. Once at the jail, Wert reportedly did not wish to speak with Griggs, and he was given a PBT which tested .25 percent, the report said.
According to the report, while Wert was being processed, he said things in an attempt to justify his actions. He was ultimately booked into the Brown County Jail for sexual battery, a Level 6 felony, and he had to be transported to the hospital for clearance because of his level of intoxication.
The probable cause affidavit was filed on April 24.
Police: Nashville man threatened officers
A Nashville man, 38-year-old Christopher Johnson, faces 19 charges following an event last month.
According to the probable cause affidavit, Brown County Sheriff Brad Stogsdill and Deputies Zaccary Sheppard, Chris Griggs and Oliver Hitz, as well as an IU Health LifeLine ambulance, responded to a domestic physical situation on Green Valley Road on the evening of April 21.
Deputy Sheppard reported that while the officers were en route, dispatched advised that a male, later identified as Johnson, was attacking a family member. The caller advised that Johnson had pepper sprayed him in the eyes and possessed a pocketknife, the report said. Johnson was also reportedly believed to be intoxicated to an unknown level.
According to the affidavit, shortly before the officers arrived, the caller said Johnson was attempting to leave in a vehicle. After he gave a description of the vehicle, he said that Johnson left toward Yellowwood Road. Griggs went to the residence, and Sheppard and Hitz, who were in the same patrol vehicle, continued on Green Valley Road to try and locate Johnson, the report said.
Sheppard and Hitz located Johnson and attempted to catch up with him. They eventually got close enough to initiate the patrol vehicle’s emergency lights, the report said, but Johnson allegedly never slowed down and continued at a high rate of speed.
According to the report, the officers were able to keep up with Johnson through several turns, until he eventually led them to the Yellowwood spillway, which was a dead end. Sheppard reported that he and Hitz exited the patrol car, and he drew his department-issued firearm and pointed it at Johnson.
The officers instructed Johnson to turn away from them and keep his hands up, then made sure he had no weapons by having him raise his shirt, the report said.
According to the affidavit, the officers did not know at that point if the male was definitely Johnson, but his identity was confirmed when he allegedly asked about the caller by name. The officers placed Johnson in handcuffs. While they were speaking with him, his speech was reportedly slurred and Sheppard said he could detect a strong alcoholic odor.
The officers placed Johnson in the patrol vehicle and returned with him to the residence where the events began. While en route, Johnson allegedly said he “got into it” with two family members, then went outside to get away and calm down, and realized that the caller was outside calling the police, so he “maced him,” the report said.
When they arrived at the residence, Sheppard reported that he spoke with the family member who was allegedly attacked by Johnson. The alleged victim said Johnson had been drinking, and that he had put his hands on her. She said that Johnson had choked her with both hands and she tried to break free by hitting him in the face, according to the report.
Sheppard asked the victim when Johnson stopped choking her, and she said only when two other family members held him down, allowing her to get away. She said Johnson then went after the caller.
The victim said the event began when she was in her room and heard Johnson yelling at someone else in another room of the residence. She said she asked Johnson to stop, and he got angry with her and went after her and choked her, the report said.
The victim also said that Johnson threw her phone before he went after the caller with pepper spray and a knife. She said she thought Johnson was going to kill the caller. Johnson then allegedly caused damage inside the house, and the victim said she hid in the house and didn’t see what else happened.
According to the report, there were “minor little marks” on the victim’s neck, and she also allegedly had a minor abrasion on her right hand.
Sheppard then spoke with another person involved in the incident, who had a spot on her arm from the altercation, the report said. She told Sheppard that she was in the upstairs of the residence when she heard loud talking, so she came downstairs to see what was going on. The report said that she saw the other family member trying to get Johnson off the victim, so she came over to help.
The other family member told Sheppard that she was speaking with Johnson when the victim came into the room and said something to Johnson. She said that Johnson went after the victim, and at first, she couldn’t tell that Johnson was choking the victim from where she was standing. She said she heard a muffled sound come from the victim, so she went over, then tried to get Johnson off while calling for help. She said she saw Johnson’s hands around the victim’s neck, and that he was also hitting her head on a door.
When the other family member came downstairs to help, the caller went in the other room to call 911. According to the report, Johnson went out to his vehicle and came back inside holding a knife. At one point, one of the family members held Johnson to the ground to keep him separated from everyone.
Johnson then allegedly went outside, argued with the caller, then grabbed him and threw him to the ground. Johnson then allegedly sprayed him with pepper spray, then reportedly tried to break the caller’s phone.
According to the report, Johnson threw the knife to the ground at one point, and one of the family members tried to kick it away.
The officers then spoke with the caller, who said he heard a commotion, and then one of the individuals attempting to pull Johnson off the victim asked him to call 911. He said he stepped outside to make the call, then Johnson came out and allegedly grabbed him, knocked him down the steps and tried to smash his phone. The caller said that Johnson asked him if he called the police, and when he said he did, Johnson allegedly pepper sprayed him in the face. Because of the pain of the pepper spray, the caller said he went downstairs to get water for his eyes. While he was there, he heard loud noises above him. He said he came back upstairs and saw that Johnson’s truck had started.
The caller then walked Sheppard through the house to show the damage Johnson allegedly caused. According to the report, items including a microwave and chairs were thrown on the floor of the kitchen, there were two holes in a wall near the bedrooms, the thermostat was broken and there was a large hole in a bedroom. The caller then provided the knife that Johnson allegedly had possession of earlier, and the officers photographed it and placed it into evidence.
Sheppard returned to his car, read Johnson his Miranda rights, and then explained to him the charges he was facing. According to the report, Griggs asked Sheppard to step away from Johnson to speak with him, and when Sheppard did so, Johnson reportedly became “very irate and upset,” then allegedly began to kick the dash and equipment in the patrol vehicle. Sheppard reported that he opened the door of the car and told Johnson to stop, but he allegedly kept yelling and kicking different parts of the car, including the windshield.
The report said Sheriff Stogsdill came over and told Johnson to stop, and Johnson allegedly attempted to hit his head on the car’s dash. Because of this, Stogsdill held Johnson back in the back seat and attempted to calm him down, the report said. Johnson allegedly said he would “make more charges” and headbutted the car’s computer. The officers held him back, the report said, and they requested the jail car to the scene, because it has a full cage in the back seat.
While the jail car was en route, the report said that Johnson threatened to fight the officers, attempted to headbutt more parts of the car, and asked Stogsdill to tase him. According to the report, Johnson “began to taunt Stogsdill to tase him,” then allegedly headbutted the computer multiple times.
Stogsdill asked Sheppard for his taser, the report said, and drive-stunned Jonson in his right thigh. The report said Johnson laughed and taunted the officers while being tased.
Sheppard then tried to speak with Johnson, and according to the report, he continued to taunt and threaten the officers. At one point, he allegedly said he could get one of the officers to shoot him.
When the jail car arrived, the officers attempted to place leg shackles on Johnson, and he allegedly tried to kick the officers. When he was transferred to the jail car, he allegedly started to kick the window with both feet. He also allegedly told Stogsdill he would “come for him” after he got out of jail, and that he should “enjoy his family now,” according to the report. Shortly after the officers got Johnson’s leg shackles adjusted, Sheppard reported that he went to get more restraints, and while he was away, he heard a loud banging noise, which was Johnson headbutting a plastic panel in the car.
Johnson had injured his forehead, the report said, so he was placed onto a gurney with restraints and transported to Columbus Regional Hospital in an ambulance. Sheppard reported that Stogsdill informed him that he got kicked in the face when Johnson was allegedly kicking his legs and he had pain in his cheek.
According to the report, during the incident, Johnson allegedly caused significant damage to equipment inside Sheppard’s patrol vehicle and to the door of the jail car. Photographs were taken of all of the damage, the report said.
After the scene was cleared, a search warrant was granted to obtain blood from Johnson. According to the report, it took multiple people to hold Johnson down while they collected his blood. He was also screaming the whole time, which scared the hospital staff, the report said.
When the officers returned with Johnson to Brown County, they placed him in a padded cell. The report said he kicked and headbutted the door to the cell. Jail Officer Doughty informed Sheppard that he had some minor abrasions from the incident, the report said. The report also states that Johnson is allegedly on probation through Monroe County, which was transferred to Brown County.
Johnson was booked into the Brown County Jail with the following charges: strangulation, a Level 6 felony; battery against a public safety official, a Level 6 felony (x2); resisting law enforcement, a Level 6 felony; intimidation, a Level 6 felony (x2); domestic battery, a Class A misdemeanor; battery resulting in bodily injury, a Class A misdemeanor; battery, a Class B misdemeanor; operating a vehicle while intoxicated endangering a person, a Class A misdemeanor; operating a vehicle with an ACE of .08 or more, a Class A misdemeanor; operating a vehicle while intoxicated, a Class C misdemeanor; resisting law enforcement, a Class A misdemeanor; interference with the reporting of a crime, a Class A misdemeanor; criminal mischief, a Class B misdemeanor (x4); and disorderly conduct, a Class B misdemeanor.
The probable cause affidavit was filed on April 25.
