A Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department corrections officer has been arrested by Indiana State Police on felony criminal charges relating to discharging a firearm into a Bartholomew County residence where two children were sleeping.
Indiana State Police detectives arrested sheriff’s department corrections officer Nicholas L. Wright, 19, of 3182 Alan Drive, on warrants Wednesday on felony charges of criminal recklessness with a deadly weapon and obstruction of justice, according to Stephen Wheeles, Indiana State Police spokesman.
The investigation by Indiana State Police Detective Andrew Mitchell began on Jan. 18 when a case was referred to the Indiana State Police by the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department due to the suspect in the case being a corrections officer with the sheriff’s department, Wheeles said.
During the investigation, Mitchell determined that sometime during the overnight hours of Jan. 11, Wright is accused of firing a handgun from inside of his residence on Alan Drive, Wheeles said. The round went through the window of his residence and entered a neighbor’s mobile home, entering a bedroom where two children were sleeping before being lodged in a children’s toy, Wheeles said. The children were not injured, according to investigators.
The investigation determined that Wright altered the scene to cover up the incident and also lied to investigators about the incident, Wheeles said.
As a result of the investigation, detectives arrested Wright on charges of criminal recklessness with a deadly weapon, a Level 5 felony, and obstruction of justice, a Level 6 Felony.
Bartholomew County Sheriff Matt Myers said Wright was terminated as a corrections officer after state police informed him that there were inconsistencies in Wright’s statements to investigators. The termination occurred before the charges were filed, he said.
“He was an ‘at will’ employee and I hold our employees to a high standard,” Myers said in a phone interview on Saturday. “I am not going to tolerate inconsistencies within our department if a person is being investigated.”
For more on this story, see Sunday’s Republic.
