Clay County standoff results in arrest

COALMONT -- One person was arrested following a standoff in southern Clay County Friday evening.

At approximately 5:45 p.m., Friday, Indiana State Police trooper Marcus Tow was dispatched to 6602 Coulson St., Coalmont, for a reported domestic battery investigation.

When Tow arrived at the residence, he knocked on the door and simultaneously noticed a female sitting in a recliner, but no one answered the door.

The officer then spoke to the female through a nearby window and again she ignored his requests to answer the door or speak with him.

Suddenly and from inside the residence, the voice of a male told the officer to leave and they did not need the police. The female appeared scared and distraught.

Additional troopers and commanders from the Indiana State Police Putnamville Post arrived at the residence to assist.

However, repeated requested for the male to surrender and exit the residence were ignored, as well as requested for the female to exit the residence.

After approximately 30 minutes of negotiations by Hostage Crisis Negotiator Senior Trooper Joe Rutledge, multiple troopers, led by district commander Lt. Dan Jones, breached the front and rear doors of the residence and entered the home.

The male then began to advance toward the female and refused multiple orders to stop.

Trooper Brent Robinson deployed a Taser, striking the male and stopping his advance toward the female.

The male was taken into custody and transported to the Clay County Justice Center.

The male, later identified as Fred C. Mullins Jr., 28, Coalmont, was preliminary charged with Criminal Confinement (a class D felony), Strangulation (a class D felony), Intimidation (a class D felony), Resisting Law Enforcement (a class A misdemeanor), Battery (a class A misdemeanor), Interference with Reporting a Crime (a class A misdemeanor), Possession of Paraphernalia (a class A misdemeanor), and False Reporting (a class B misdemeanor).

Mullins' bond was set at $7,000, with no 10 percent allowed.

Both Mullins and the female victim refused any medical attention and the female was released to family members.

In addition to additional Indiana State Police troopers, the Clay County Prosecutor's Office assisted in the investigation.