Suspect in shooting incident free on $20,000 bond

Friday, January 20, 2017

The rural Greencastle man accused of five felonies in an incident that culminated in being shot twice by police is free on bond following his initial court hearing.

Adam Wagner, 35, appeared before Putnam Superior Court Judge Denny Bridges Friday morning on five felony counts related to the Jan. 12 incident.

Wagner is charged with two counts of Level 5 felony intimidation as a result of allegedly pointing a gun — later discovered to be a BB gun — at Putnam County sheriff’s Special Deputy Ian Zeffel and Deputy Jeffery Freeman.

He also faces three Level 6 felonies — strangulation, domestic battery and criminal confinement — relating to an alleged case of domestic violence involving his girlfriend earlier in the evening.

Police were on scene to investigate the earlier incident when the shooting took place.

In a brief initial hearing, Wagner appeared with Indianapolis defense attorney Adam Brower, who waived the formal reading of the charges and entered a not-guilty plea for his client.

Prosecutor Tim Bookwalter asked that bond be set at $20,000 cash, a request granted by Judge Bridges.

Wagner was freed from the jail on bond Friday afternoon.

Indiana State Police detectives, who are investigating the case because local authorities were involved in the incident, reported that deputies were called to the residence on County Road 490 West at 11:18 p.m. on Jan. 12.

Arriving at a nearby residence to which the alleged victim had fled, Freeman, Zeffel and Deputy Anthony Brown reported they found marks on her head and neck consistent with a battery.

They then traveled to the residence to talk to Wagner. After Brown knocked on the front door with no answer, they split up to search around the house.

As Brown returned to his car to retrieve a stocking cap, Freeman went around the north side of the house and Zeffel went south, to the area of a walk-out basement door.

Having made it all the way around the house, Freeman was at the top of a retaining wall just west of the walk-out basement area.

Freeman told ISP detectives he saw Wagner moving toward the glass basement door with a black handgun extended toward Zeffel.

Freeman told the suspect “Police, drop the weapon,” at which point Wagner reportedly turned and pointed the handgun at Freeman.

Freeman fired twice, striking Wagner both times in the torso.

The deputies administered first aid until medics arrived. He was later airlifted to Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis.

Wagner was discharged Wednesday afternoon, at which point he was arrested by state troopers and taken to the Putnam County Jail.

Wagner is due back in court for a March 29 pretrial conference.

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