Officer exonerated for shooting at fleeing runaways in ResCare case

CRAWFORDSVILLLE -- The Crawfordsville officer who discharged his weapon at a fleeing stolen van in an incident involving female runaways from the Greencastle ResCare facility has been exonerated.

Police Officer Sgt. Geoffrey Payne has been cleared to return to active duty immediately following the findings of the Crawfordsville Police Department Incident Review Board concerning the events of the early morning hours of Sunday, May 5.

Payne was involved in the incident in which four juveniles reportedly stole the ResCare van from Greencastle and made their way to the south side of Crawfordsville where they allegedly attempted to run over the officer in the parking lot of the Sears Appliance Store about 1:20 a.m. Sunday.

As the officer app-roached the van and ordered the girls out of the vehicle in the parking lot along U.S. 231, the driver reportedly put the van in reverse and rammed Payne's squad car, heavily damaging it. As the girls fled the scene, they reportedly attempted to run down the officer who fired his handgun at the fleeing vehicle.

Payne, driving his damaged police vehicle, pursued the van into the Crawfordsville Walmart parking lot where the four girls abandoned the van and fled on foot.

Payne and fellow CPD and Montgomery County officers quickly apprehended the female runaways, subduing one immediately and capturing three others without further incident in a nearby ditch.

As a result of his actions in firing his weapon, and in compliance with department policy, Payne was placed on administrative leave pending the findings of the Review Board.

The Review Board subsequently has found that "Sgt. Geoff Payne's action did not violate the word or intent of the Use of Force Policy of the Crawfordsville Police Department."

Sgt. Payne will return to active duty immediately.

Meanwhile, Indiana State Police investigators have concluded their probe into the incident. Those findings have been forwarded to the Montgomery County prosecutor who will make a determination into what, if any, charges will be filed in the case against the juveniles involved.

Last week, the Putnam County Prosecutor's Office said the four teenage suspects will not see a Putnam courtroom.

None of the four girls, ranging in age from 13-17, was a Putnam County commitment to the ResCare Residential Program, a Putnam Prosecutor's Office spokesman said.

All charges in the case will go through Montgomery County courts, including any offenses that occurred in Putnam County.

The incident reportedly began just before 1 a.m. May 5 at the ResCare facility at 1300 Bloomington St., Greencastle, when the young women allegedly stole a maroon 2002 Ford van owned by the facility after reportedly assaulting a female staff member.

According to a Greencastle Police Department report, the four females removed phones from the ResCare facility along with taking the female staff member's cell phone to prevent any 911 phone calls from being made to report the incident.

One of the four juveniles also reportedly threatened the female staffer with physical harm if she told anyone what happened.

A GPD press release indicated authorities will review preliminary charges, including battery, intimidation, interfering with the reporting of a crime, theft and auto theft.