A local man who held law enforcement at bay during a domestic dispute incident early this month has been indicted by a Clinton County Grand Jury on multiple charges and several counts pertaining to the September 2 episode.

Ricky Whitley, 36, was indicted on five different felony and misdemeanor charges with a total of 21 counts involved in the true bill that was handed down in open Clinton Circuit Court last Monday, September 16.

The defendant is charged with two Class D felonies, unlawful imprisonment first degree and seven counts of wanton endangerment first degree. He is also charged with disorderly conduct first degree and eight counts of terroristic threatening third degree, both Class A misdemeanors and four counts of menacing, a Class B misdemeanor.

The grand jury alleges in the indictments that on or about September 2, the defendant restrained Erica Stinson at gunpoint with a .45 caliber pistol and a rifle, which exposed her to a risk of serious physical injury.

The wanton endangerment charges allege the defendant (three counts) tailgated a vehicle being driven by Stinson, “cutting her off in lanes of traffic…causing her to pull out in front of another car, placing her and two minor children in her vehicle in danger of serious physical injury or death. Also three counts by pointing a .45 handgun at police officers, Ricky Marcum, Jim Guffey and Chris McGuffin, and a fourth by pointing a rifle at Sheriff Rick Riddle.

The four menacing counts allege he pointed a gun at four officers, Marcum, Guffey, Mark Bell and Brad Cross and threatened to kill them, eight counts of terroristic threatening by stating he was going to do physical harm to eight officers on the scene, and the disorderly conduct charge by…engaging in tumultuous or threatening behavior in a public place.

All of the charges stem from the Labor Day incident that began around noon and resulted in the eventual arrest of Whitley without anyone being physically harmed. The S.O.R.T team responded when the defendant originally refused to give himself up.

The grand jury returned other indictments in its regular session last week, including:

* The alleged offenses of receiving stolen property, burglary third degree and persistent felony offender first degree, against Tony D. Lowhorn, when on or about August 8, the defendant remained unlawfully in a building belonging to Tommy Fitzgerald, retained or disposed of several items valued under $10,000 and committed the offenses after having been stood convicted of a prior felony offense within the past five years.

* The alleged offenses of DUI, fourth offense, operating a motor vehicle with revoked or suspended license, second offense and persistent felony offender second degree, two counts, against Buddy R. Longwell, when on or about August 16, he operated a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol or other substance, while on a revoked or suspended license and committed the offenses after having been stood convicted of a prior felony offense within the past five years.

* The alleged offenses of burglary third degree, receiving stolen property, theft by unlawful taking and persistent felony offender second degree (two counts), against Brandon Smith, when on or about July 24, he remained unlawfuly in a building belonging to Judy Olsen, retained or disposed of several items having a value of less than $10,000, took or exercised control over those items and committed the offenses after having been stood convicted of a prior felony offense within the past five years.

* The alleged offenses of theft by unlawful taking over $500, receiving stolen property, burglary third degree and persistent felony offender first degree, against Robert Leslie Smith, when on or about July 24, the defendant took or exercised control over several items belonging to Judy Olson, retained or disposed of the items, having a value less than $10,000, remained unlawfully in the building belonging to Olson and committed the offenses after having been stood convicted of a prior felony offense within the past five years.

* The alleged offense of persistent felony offender second degree (two counts) against Joseph P. Coop, when on or about June 24, the defendant committed the offense of receiving stolen property, after having been stood convicted of a prior felony offense within the past five years.

* The alleged offense of bail jumping first degree, against Jerry Simpson, when on or about August 19, the defendant failed to appear for a pretrial conference in Clinton Circuit Court on a felony charge.

(Editor’s Note: An indictment is a statement of probable cause to believe an offense has been committed and further court proceedings are warranted. Those named in an indictment are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.)