Attempted murder added to Inman's charges

Wednesday, July 30, 2014
Donald Inman

Already charged with six felonies and a misdemeanor following a June incident that ended in a police standoff, a Bainbridge man now faces an attempted murder charge.

Donald L. Inman, 50, was in Putnam Superior Court on Wednesday afternoon. Judge Denny Bridges advised Inman he could face 20-50 years and a fine of up to $50,000 for the Class A felony alone.

Bridges entered a not-guilty plea on Inman's behalf.

With the new charge being more serious than Inman's other seven, Bridges also increased his bond to $40,000 cash.

When Inman was arrested on June 17, his initial charges included attempted murder. However, when the Putnam County Prosecutor's Office pressed charges, attempted murder was not included.

At the time, Prosecutor Timothy Bookwalter told the Banner Graphic that attempted murder is among the most difficult crimes to prove.

New interviews with the alleged victim, Denver McMurtry of Bainbridge, have prosecutors more confident in the attempted murder charge.

Inman had reportedly shown up at the McMurtry home to shoot out the windows of McMurtry's vehicle. When McMurtry came out to investigate what was happening, he said he had to jump out of the way as Inman fired a shotgun from a range of two or three feet.

McMurtry sustained burns to his triceps, the shot passed so close. He also told investigators his hearing did not come back for a couple of days.

After departing the McMurtry home, Inman went to the residence of Jan Ferrand and Jack Watson Sr. on County Road 800 North, where he also reportedly shot out the windows of Watson's truck.

Police began pursuing Inman a short while later. He eventually returned to McMurtry's property on U.S. 36, where police surrounded him in a field behind the residence.

The standoff lasted about two hours, with Inman sitting in his truck, refusing to communicate with police. When he attempted to move, police disabled his vehicle and took him into custody.

In his intial interview with detectives, Inman claimed he neither remembered seeing McMurtry, nor the police chase. Authorities believe he was heavily intoxicated at the time.

Although he did not remember some of the incidents, Inman did tell Putnam County Sheriff's Department Det. Sgt. Pat McFadden he was angry with McMurtry and Watson and that he wanted revenge.

Besides attempted murder, Inman's charges also include two counts of intimidation, a Class C felony; two counts of criminal recklessness, pointing a firearm and resisting law enforcement, all Class D felonies; and criminal mischief, a Class A misdemeanor.

A Class C felony is punishable by two to eight years in prison and up to a $10,000 fine. A Class D felony carries a sentence of six months to three years and up to a $10,000 fine. A Class B misdemeanor carries up to a 180-day sentence and a fine of up to $1,000.

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