Police shooting suspect arrested Saturday

Sunday, December 18, 2016
Jeffrey Hunter

The rural Greencastle man accused in the Dec. 10 shooting of a Cloverdale Police officer was arrested by Indiana State Police detectives Saturday afternoon.

Jeffrey P. Hunter, 48, was released from an Indianapolis hospital Saturday afternoon and detectives immediately served a Putnam County arrest warrant.

Hunter was lodged in the Putnam County Jail on preliminary charges of attempted murder, resisting law enforcement with a vehicle, battery and theft.

On Tuesday, Putnam County Prosecutor Tim Bookwalter filed four official charges against Hunter in Putnam Circuit Court: Level 1 felony attempted murder, Level 6 felony theft, Class A misdemeanor theft and Class B misdemeanor battery.

The four charges could carry a combined sentence of up to 44 years in prison.

Hunter had been undergoing treatment in the hospital since the night of the incident when he allegedly exchanged fire with CPD Officer Luke Brown.

Hunter is accused of stealing a chainsaw from Tractor Supply in Greencastle on the afternoon of Dec. 10 when his credit card was denied.

Four officers from Putnam County Sheriff's Department, CPD and Greencastle Police Department soon converged on the Mt. Meridian area home Hunter shares with his mother.

After Brown tried to get Hunter to come out the front door to talk, a brief struggle ensued. Brown was pushed out of the front of the home, at which time Hunter allegedly grabbed a double-barreled shotgun that had been leaning next to the door.

Hunter allegedly leveled the shotgun and fired at Brown's chest from about one foot away.

Brown escaped serious injury and likely death because he was wearing his ballistic vest.

The officer retreated from the door and fired two rounds, striking Hunter in the side with one of them.

Brown then talked Hunter out of the residence and rendered first aid to his alleged assailant until Operation Life paramedics arrived.

Brown was taken to a Terre Haute hospital and released later that evening. Meanwhile, Hunter was airlifted to the Indianapolis hospital, where he remained under ISP supervision until his release.

ISP Det. Don Curtis and 1Sgt. Jason Fajt oversaw the investigation. It was turned over to Indiana State Police because three local departments were involved in the incident.

No date or time has been set for Hunter's initial appearance before Putnam Circuit Court Judge Matt Headley.

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  • This man needs to be put away for a long time. He is obviously mentally disturbed.

    -- Posted by Queen53 on Mon, Dec 19, 2016, at 6:59 AM
  • Heck, QUEEN .. if you locked up everyone who appeared "mentally disturbed", there wouldn't be too many folks left in this area. lol

    He's not disturbed, he just like mainstream Americans nowadays .. they won't take NO for an answer, so they take what they want and think the "poor guy was down on his luck and was doing it to feed his family" defense will work .. and it just might, considering we as a people are SO GOOD at handing out EXCUSES instead of punishment these days.

    Very happy to hear the vest saved this officer's life.

    -- Posted by Emmes on Tue, Dec 20, 2016, at 11:30 AM
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