Tased naked suspect recalls nothing of I-70 events

Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Although authorities allege an Oklahoma man bashed his head through his truck window, dove face-first out of it onto the pavement, stripped himself naked, got tased in the head and ran off into the woods, the suspect says he recalls nothing of the Sept. 23 incident.

"I don't really remember doing any of that," Jason Cody Melton, 34, Bartlesville, Okla., said Monday afternoon during an initial hearing in Putnam Superior Court.

Jason Cody Melton

With an incredulous glance at the suspect -- who despite carrying facial reminders of his self-imposed ordeal as he appeared clad in an orange jumpsuit, seemed as ordinary as the man on the street -- Judge Denny Bridges asked: "Do you remember being tased?"

Melton shook his head.

"At the hospital they told me I got hit in the head," the suspect responded, alluding to his scalp being penetrated by the business end of the taser.

"Be glad you don't remember any of that," the judge replied.

Melton is facing two misdemeanor charges in the case, which began about 3:15 p.m. Sept. 23 at the 34-mile marker of eastbound Interstate 70 when his Chevrolet truck was observed parked precariously along a guardrail with the driver slumped over the wheel.

Melton is charged with resisting law enforcement, a Class A misdemeanor that carries a sentence of up to a year in jail and a maximum $5,000 fine, and public nudity, a Class C misdemeanor, which carries a sentence of up to 60 days in jail and a $500 fine.

Indiana State Police Trooper Michael Wood deployed his taser at Melton after the suspect failed to respond to numerous commands and was reportedly running dangerously close to I-70 traffic and menacingly toward the trooper.

"He was gaining an advantage point to run into traffic or turn his attention toward harming me," Wood stated in the probable cause affidavit filed in Superior Court.

When Trooper Wood came upon the vehicle, Melton refused to show him his hands, court documents note, and tore off the rearview mirror and jumped into the back seat of the truck where he began headbutting the passenger's side window. That resulted in him plunging headfirst out of the truck onto the interstate shoulder.

Once outside the truck, Melton began disrobing and continued ignoring all police commands, authorities said.

Even after being tased, the Oklahoma man reportedly continued his aggressive behavior, fleeing into a wooded area with Troopers Wood and Mike Finney in pursuit.

After a brief chase, Finney apprehended Melton, who continued to physically resist, police said.

The suspect was originally taken to Putnam County Hospital for treatment and later transferred to Methodist Hospital, Indianapolis, for continued evaluation and toxicology tests.

Deputy Prosecutor James Ensley indicated in court that Melton could face more charges, pending the results of those toxicology tests.

When the incident occurred, Melton was reportedly en route to West Virginia, where he said he planned to quit his job and move a small trailer and his belongings back to Oklahoma.

Unable to post a $1,500 bond, he was released on his own recognizance Monday afternoon after the court was advised Melton was needed back in Oklahoma for a family emergency.

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