Defendant sentenced in police standoff case

A local man who threatened to kill his wife prior to a police standoff has been ordered to serve 12 years with the Indiana Department of Correction.

David A. Bevis, who will turn 61 this month, was sentenced after pleading guilty to criminal confinement while armed with a deadly weapon. Bartholomew Circuit Court Judge Kelly Benjamin gave the defendant 558 days of credit for the jail time he has already served.

In a separate case against Bevis, Benjamin handed down seven additional years for stalking, resisting law enforcement and invasion of privacy. However, the judge suspended those years by ordering the time from the second case be served concurrently with the first case, rather than consecutively.

The judge also ordered that Bevis, who resided on County Road 550W, to serve four years on probation following his release from prison. If he breaks terms of his release or parole, Benjamin could order that Bevis serve the suspended years.

The case began at 2:52 a.m. on May 5, 2021. That’s when sheriff’s deputies were called to Bevis’ residence to investigate a report of a domestic battery involving a deadly weapon, according to court records.

According to a witness, who was able to barricade herself inside the house and call police, Bevis was threatening to kill his wife, deputies said. The witness also told investigators that Bevis had struck his wife several times with a shotgun, court documents state.

Upon their arrival, deputies observed the defendant walking around outside with, what appeared to be, a long gun, investigators said. After giving Bevis multiple commands to drop his weapon, Bevis refused, ran inside and barricaded himself inside the residence, deputies said.

Deputies immediately set a perimeter around the house and gave Bevis multiple orders to exit the structure. The victim and witness reported that the suspect threatened their lives when he said that “if you call 911, we’re all dying,” according to court records.

After the SWAT team was activated and CPD negotiators arrived, Bevis told them to send three officers. Following more than an hour of negotiations, Bevis exited the residence and was taken into custody without incident.

A few days later, detectives and deputies returned to the scene and seized approximately 123 grams of methamphetamine from Bevis’ property, according to a news release.

On Monday, prosecutors decided to drop the drug-related charges against Bevis in light of his guilty pleas on the other felony charges.