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CPD officer intervenes when man threatens judge
A man who allegedly threatened and tried to attack Putnam Circuit Court Judge Matt Headley was apprehended Monday morning thanks to the presence and quick action of a Cloverdale Police Department sergeant.
Joshua Dean Akins, 25, Greencastle, is facing a felony and a misdemeanor after disrupting court proceedings and threatening the judge.
According to CPD Sgt. Charlie Hallam, Akins entered the courtroom shortly after 10 a.m. with his cell phone making a loud alert sound, disrupting the proceedings.
Judge Headley asked Akins if he was present for the current case. The cell phone disruption continued and Headley asked again, but Akins did not answer.
Hallam, in court as a witness in another case, approached Akins and asked him to step out to address the issue.
After initially complying with Hallam's request, Akins apparently stopped and turned toward the judge.
"He knows exactly what's going on, he knows exactly," Akins said, according to court records.
He then addressed Headley directly, "I will ring your f------ neck."
Hallam said he tried to hand escort Akins out of the room but he resisted.
Akins then reportedly made an aggressive move toward Headley's bench while reaching for his front pocket.
Hallam spun Akins around and tackled him to the ground, applying pressure until help arrive.
A courthouse employee who was present for the hearing left the courtroom when the disturbance started and yelled for assistance. Courthouse Deputy Brian Walden, sheriff's department Capt. Steven Fenwick and Community Corrections Officer Jeremiah Jackson all responded, and helped secure Akins.
Fenwick transported Akins to the Putnam County Jail, where he was booked in at 10:20 a.m. on preliminary charges of threats and intimidation toward a judge, resisting law enforcement and disorderly conduct.
Despite statements Akins made to the judge, there is no immediate indication of why he was upset with Headley. A court records search shows four previous criminal cases in Putnam County courts, but the two in which Headley was the presiding judge were resolved in 2011 and 2013, respectively.
Akins has a pending case in which he's charged with Class B misdemeanor criminal mischief, but it was filed in Putnam Superior Court with Judge Denny Bridges.
Hallam and Indiana State Police Det. Jeff Hearon interviewed Akins at the jail on Monday afternoon.
On Tuesday, Putnam County Prosecutor Tim Bookwalter officially filed two charges in Putnam Superior Court, Level 5 felony intimidation and Class A misdemeanor resisting law enforcement.
Intimidation is normally a Class A misdemeanor, but is enhanced to a Level 5 felony in this case because the threat was against a judge.
A Level 5 felony carries with it a sentence of 1-6 six years, with a requirement to serve 75 percent of the sentence.
By comparison, a Class A misdemeanor is punishable by up to one year, with a 50-percent service requirement.