Jerry Lucas
A 74-year-old local man who staged a police standoff after a shooting incident entered a plea bargain agreement Monday in Bartholomew Superior Court.
Jerry L. Lucas, 6560 State Road 46 West, agreed to plead guilty to battery by means of a deadly weapon as a Level 5 felony. In exchange, prosecutors agreed to drop the more serious charge of attempted murder as a Level 1 felony.
While the plea agreement calls for Lucas to serve four years in prison, prosecutors said they would leave it up to Judge James Worton to determine if special conditions are warranted in this case. Defense attorney Elliott Happel asked the judge to clear the court’s schedule for two hours during the sentencing, while is tentatively scheduled for 2:30 p.m. Aug. 22.
On the night of Nov. 24, Lucas reportedly fired a gun at a neighbor riding with his daughter in a golf cart looking for their family’s lost cat, a probable cause affidavit states. The father told investigators he heard four shots before receiving a minor shrapnel wound, the court document states.
Lucas entered his home and refused to come out after officers arrived, Columbus Police spokesman Lt. Matt Harris said in an earlier interview. After a three-and-a-half hour standoff involving crisis negotiators and a SWAT team, Lucas was taken into custody.
During Monday’s change-of-plea hearing, Lucas denied he was under the influence of drugs, telling Worton he was also not an alcoholic and did not suffer from any mental illnesses.
A look at his record shows Lucas’ only brushes with law enforcement involve minor traffic infractions such as speeding.
Nevertheless, the judge ruled last January that Lucas poses a danger to the public and victims of the alleged crime, and has exhibited a disdain for authorities.
Worton ordered that Lucas’ bond remain at $750,000 or 10% cash since his arrest. If he did raise the money, the judge ordered that Lucas be placed immediately on GPS monitoring. Worton has also ordered that the defendant refrain from having contact with the victims in the case.
